


Tales of a Monkey

by IrelandinIrish



Category: Hawaii Five-0 (2010)
Genre: F/M, Family, Family Feels, Father-Daughter Relationship, Gen, Hurt Grace Williams, M/M, Mother-Daughter Relationship, Protective Danny "Danno" Williams, Protective Steve McGarrett, SEAL Steve McGarrett, Team as Family, oneshots
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-07-20
Updated: 2019-05-29
Packaged: 2019-06-13 11:23:46
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 14
Words: 33,864
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15363555
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/IrelandinIrish/pseuds/IrelandinIrish
Summary: Oneshots of the 5-0 Ohana and their little monkey.





	1. I'll Keep You Safe

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Set during Grace's dance, how Danny and Steve react when the terrorists threaten their little girl

When detective Danny Williams had agreed to fill in for his ex-wife as a chaperone for their daughter's dance, he never envisioned it would end up with him lying on the floor shielding Grace with his body while a band of terrorists pointed the barrel of a gun at them.

"Danno" came the muffled voice from the crook of his arm, and the man gently shushed his daughter, placing a kiss to the top of her head.

"It's gonna be okay monkey" he promised, casting a wary eye around the room "Your Uncle Steve will come soon."

Grace tilted her head up to meet his eye "No he won't" she sighed "Nobody's coming Danno" she pressed her face back into her arms and went still and Danny felt his heart tear in two at the tone of defeat in her voice.

* * *

Unbeknown to them, just outside Commander Steve McGarrett, aka 'Uncle Steve' was busy administering members of HPD around the building as subtly trembling fingers ached to secure the vest over his body.

"We have the advantage of them not knowing we're here" he addressed his team "But we want the minimal amount of shock and awe, our priority is getting those kids out safe you hear me? Now one of our own is inside, detective Williams - so keep an eye out for him and as soon as we can we'll toss him a weapon so we can round these bastards up."

As the task force began gearing up Steve allowed his shoulders to drop slightly and he delved in his pocket for his phone. The lockscreen illuminated in the evening light, showing a picture of a young Grace sat atop Danny's shoulders with Steve's navy cap perched askew on her head. The SEAL breathed out a laugh as he stroked a thumb over the screen, waiting for it to turn black before he shoved it back into his pocket and picked up his gun. 

* * *

"Rodriguez I'm telling you he isn't here!"

"And I'm telling  _you_ that unless you find him and bring him to me, a bullet will mysteriously find itself embedded in your brain."

Danny winced and did his best to cover his daughter's ears to block out the harsh words, but the damage was done and all he could do was pull her tighter into his arms as they waited.

Rodriguez began to walk about the room, gun swinging lazily by his side as he weaved around the students dotted on the floor "Come on" he began slowly "I know one of you knows the whereabouts of your classmate Jeremy...tell us now, and we might let you all live."

Grace rolled slightly to face her Dad "What do they want with Jeremy?" she hissed, freezing as the sound of footsteps stopped just by her head.

"A good question young one" Rodriguez' snarling voice breathed in her ear "Unfortunately for you, I don't like people who ask questions." He secured a hand around her wrist in a vice like grip and wrenched the teen to her feet where she staggered in her heels.

Danny jumped up like a shot, heart thudding against his rib cage as he raised his hands "Don't" he pleaded "Alright? She didn't mean anything by it so just, let her go...please?" The gun that had been pointed at him due to his sudden movement slowly turned, and Danny felt the bile rise in his throat as Rodriguez pushed the barrel against Grace's temple.

"You think we don't know who you are? _Detective._ " the man spat "Now if you don't want your pretty little daughter's brains to be splattered all over your nice suit I suggest you get back down on the floor and shut up."

Danny swallowed hard but shook his head "I can't do that" he protested weakly "I-I can't-" he was cut off by the doors swinging open and several more men strode in brandishing their guns.

"Cops are outside" one growled "HPD and 5-0"

Rodriguez turned back to Danny with a smirk "So your friends finally arrived" he cooed, shoving Grace into another guy's arms as he pulled out his cell "But you have 3 minutes to get them all to leave, or-" he mimed shooting at Grace who screwed her eyes shut, a single tear slipping down her cheek.

Danny ran a shaking hand through his hair, his palms clammy as he gripped the phone and dialled.

* * *

 

Kono was about to shut the trunk of the car when the ringing sounded, and she dug around in one of the duffel's.

"We all ready?" Steve could be heard addressing the group in the background, but Kono frowned, finally wrapping her fingers around the phone and pulling it from the bag.

"Boss" she called quietly yet with a firmness in her tone, the man looked to her and she simply held the phone aloft and nodded her head slightly toward the building. Steve jogged over, pulling out his earpiece as he went and he almost missed the answer button in his haste to take the call.

"McGarrett" he spoke slowly, eyes locked on the building before him.

"Steve?" 

"Danny? What's going on? Is everything alright? Are you-"

"Can you stop talking for a minute!" the detective snapped "I need you to go, get everyone out of here okay?"

Steve narrowed his eyes "Danny there are kids in there and I have a school gym full of parents expecting me to protect them, what the hell-"

"I get that Steven I do but I'm standing in front of a guy who literally has a gun pointed against my daughter's head, now if you _do not_ leave he is going to shoot her do you understand me?"

The SEAL's jaw set in anger, and he motioned for the waiting HPD officers to begin moving forward "Am I on speaker?" he demanded.

"Yes."

Steve let out a huff "Okay, Gracie, baby can you hear me?" he looked up at Chin and Kono as they came to a halt in front of him, faces contorted with worry.

"I'm here Uncle Steve" a small voice piped up in the background, and he closed his eyes in relief at the sound of her voice.

"You listen to me baby girl, everything will be alright, I'll keep you safe, I promise."

There was a beat of silence before the girl spoke again "Don't go" she said with as much determination as possible "There are way more kids here than just me and you can't go just to save me."

Steve thought his heart was going to shatter at her words, just like her Dad she was selfless and incredible but the SEAL couldn't let her be those things today.

"We're gonna save everyone Gracie" he told her, before addressing his partner "Keep her safe Danno."

Before the detective could answer, the line was cut off with a long, cold beep.

* * *

 

"So you think you're in a position to decide what happens to your friends?" Rodriguez questioned, running a finger down Grace's cheek.

"Get your hands off my daughter you absolute psychopath" Danny warned, taking a step forward only for the man to cock the gun and push it harder into the girl's head.

"Detective you really need to shut up" one of the men advised coldly, promptly punching him in the jaw.

Grace let out a cry and tried to lurch forward, but she was back in Rodriguez' grip and his arm was pressed tightly round her neck to prevent her from moving anywhere.

Danny nursed the point of impact with his hand and as he looked up to face his attacker, he caught sight of Lou Grover's face peering through the glass panel of the doors. The detective didn't know whether to be relieved or horrified at HPD's presence, all he knew was that he had to get his daughter away from Rodriguez and the gun before Steve instructed the ambush.

"C'mon, just let her go, you can shove the gun in my head instead huh?" 

Grace's eyes widened at the offer and she shook her head slowly, wriggling to get free "Danno I'm fine" she told him bravely, but the smudges of tear-tracked mascara down her cheeks told a different story.

"Monkey will you let me be the grown-up now, please?" he told her as calmly as possible, and the sound of Rodriguez' cold laughter made the hair on the back of his neck stand on end.

"Touching, very touching" he hummed "Now my men are about to go and check to see if the Commander and his friends are gone, and I hope for your sake and your daughter's that it's a ghost town out there." He shooed half of his men away and Danny closed his eyes, hoping Steve had at least had the sense to hide the cars before he got everyone into position.

* * *

 

It had been ten minutes, and nobody had come back, Rodriguez was getting impatient. He held up his radio and barked into it, speaking very fast in Russian and shooting glances at Danny now and again.

No replies came and the detective noticed Rodriguez' hand clench tighter around the gun as he spoke again into the radio. When he was met with more silence he let out a roar and threw it to the ground so hard that it shattered, sending pieces of plastic showering over the waiting bodies on the floor.

"Hey, easy, easy" Danny called above the noise, watching Grace out the corner of his eye as he approached Rodriguez.

"You don't come any closer or she dies!"

"I won't, just relax and lower the gun alright?"

"You think I'm stupid?"

"You really want us to answer that?" a new voice spoke, and as Rodriguez turned to fire, he locked eyes with Commander Steve McGarrett before dropping to the floor with three bullet holes in his chest.

Danny let out a breath he didn't realise he was holding as he doubled over with his hands on his knees before straightening and pulling Grace into his arms as she stumbled towards him.

"It's okay baby, I've got you" he sighed, looking up as the door opened and the room began to fill with HPD officers who escorted the traumatised teens from the building.

Steve picked his way across the hall to Danny and instantly wrapped an arm round Grace to press a quick kiss to her forehead. "You two alright?" he asked with a frown "Had me worried for a moment back there."

" _We_ had  _you_ worried?" Danny spluttered "You opened fire while the guy still had a gun barrel causing bruising to my daughters head!"

"And now he's dead and Grace is fine" Steve said with a hint of smugness in his tone.

Grace looked between them, a smile tugging the corners of her mouth as she rushed forward into the arms of Kono who was approaching the group.

"Awh sweet girl I'm so glad you're safe" the woman sighed, holding her tight and nodding to Danny over the head of the teen. He nodded back with a smile and patted Chin on the back as he came to a halt beside him.

"Yeah thanks to you guys" Danny looked round at them all, nothing but gratitude in his eyes as he welcomed his daughter back into his arms and held her there. 

Steve smiled at him "You wanna get out of here?"

"God yes."

Kono extended a hand to Grace "I'll take her to the medics, get them to check her over, got a pretty nasty bruise there"

Danny stroked the hair from his daughter's face and winced at the mark that was appearing "Listen to your Aunt monkey, alright? I'll be over in a minute" he watched her walk out of the building with the others following suit until it was just him and Steve left behind, walking at a slower pace.

* * *

 

"You know out of all the time's you've done the whole heroic thing, I've never been so glad to see you as I was tonight" Danny told his partner as they stopped in the main doorway and the detective took a deep breath of the still night air.

"Well now all of my other rescues feel sub par" the SEAL joked, beginning to unclip his vest as they descended the stairs.

Danny looked over at him "You know she didn't think you'd show?"

"Gracie?" Steve asked in surprise, his forehead pinched into a frown "She knows her Uncle Steve better than that, surely" he smirked.

"I'm telling you, it was like she just gave up, accepted her fate, all that mumbo jumbo." Danny ran a hand over his face and it was clear there was a lot of emotion building up in his eyes.

As they reached the cars, Steve chucked his vest and weapon into the trunk and turned to his partner "You wanna pick a base Danno?" he offered gently with a raised eyebrow.

The detective let out a laugh, several tears leaking down his cheeks as he nodded and stepped into his partner's arms "You're such a shmuck" he sniffed, still not letting go.

Steve smiled, but his tone was serious as he spoke "I promise you Danny, you and Grace...I'll always come for you, always keep you safe. Always."

 

 


	2. Can you please come and get me?

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Grace is at Stan and Rachel's when he turns up drunk and threatening violence, so she calls her Danno.

He was sat on the couch flicking through the TV channels with a lazy yawn when the front door opened and Steve walked in wrestling with the grocery bags.

"No don't worry Danny I got it" the SEAL drawled, staggering to the kitchen where there came a thud of relief as the shopping was abandoned on the counter "What're you watching anyway?"

The detective looked up from the screen and blinked several times to adjust to the light of the room as Steve turned it on "Absolutely nothing" he sighed "I'm telling you that weekend television is a big waste of time and has been for years."

"Well in that case you can help me unpack"

Without waiting for a reply Steve ducked back into the kitchen and Danny got to his feet with a groan, grabbing the empty beer bottle from the table as he passed. He dumped it in the trash from his spot stood in the doorway and couldn't deny the excellence of the view as he watched his partner bend down to shove stuff in the cupboards.

"Gracie called to say goodnight yet?" the man questioned, straightening and turning with a smirk as he caught the detective staring. Grace rang just before her bedtime to say goodnight to them both, and Steve was certain that Danny had been sleeping better because of it.

"Are you kidding?" the man laughed "It's 6:30, she's got another 2 hours at least. Then again knowing Rachel she'll be up till the early hours on her laptop or-" he trailed off as his mobile began vibrating against the counter-top where he'd left it charging. His daughter's picture filled the screen and her name flashed as it rung.

"You were saying?" Steve grinned, gesturing for him to answer as he shut away the last of the groceries.

With a grin Danny unplugged the charging cable and hit answer, bringing the phone to his ear. "Hey monkey, you all tucked up in bed already?"

"Danno can you please come and get me?" came the panicked and breathless reply, a tone that had the detective reaching for his keys in an instant.

"Grace? Slow down and tell me what's going on, where's your Mom?" the worry in his voice attracted Steve's attention, and he came to a halt beside his partner, trying to listen in on the conversation.

Before the youngster could reply there came the muffled sound of a crash down the line, followed by raised voices and Danny pushed the keys into Steve's hands and all but shoved him out of the door, barely remembering to lock up as they left.

"Stan is mad and I don't know why, he's throwing stuff and I'm scared he's gonna hurt Mom" Grace squeaked "Please come Danno" she begged quietly and her Father's heart ached for her.

"Monkey I'm coming, me and Uncle Steve are on our way just go to your room for me and stay away from Stan till I get there alright?" the detective requested, running a shaking hand over his face as Steve shot out of the driveway, tyres screeching as they went.

Grace opened her mouth to agree but the call was cut off and as Danny looked down at his phone in frustration he noticed the sudden lack of signal and threw the device against the dash. "C'mon!" he groaned, quickly retrieving it in the hopes of redialling as soon as possible, but the signal stayed down as the car pushed on down the highway.

"Are you gonna tell me what's going on?" Steve demanded, any tone of joking gone from his voice as his hands gripped the wheel "Why are you telling Grace to keep away from Stan, did he do something?"

Danny shook his head. anxious fingers drumming against his thigh "No, not yet...I don't know. Grace just said he was mad and I heard him trashing the place in the background. I don't care what his problem is I just want to get my daughter out of there."

"I hear you" Steve said with a slight nod as he pushed harder on the gas pedal.

* * *

Grace had fought her way under her bed and was clutching her cell phone in the hope that her Dad would call back soon. Downstairs her Mother's screaming was growing louder and it was matched by Stan who, Grace noted was saying multiple swears that would have got her grounded for life if she repeated them.

_"Just admit you slept with him!"_

_"You're delusional Stan. I did no such thing and you're only accusing me of this because you're so drunk!"_

_"Shut your mouth"_

_"Just go upstairs and sleep it off!"_

Grace froze at this, her heart hammering as she heard stumbled footsteps ascend the staircase. The girl crossed her fingers and screwed her eyes shut, willing the man to walk past her room and fall into bed at the end of the hall where he belonged, but of course - he was feeling sociable.

"Gracie" the slurred voice called as her door creaked open "Are you hiding from your stepdad?"

She bit down on her lip and curled up into a tighter ball as she silently pleaded him to give up and leave. Her Mother could still be heard sobbing downstairs and Grace hoped the sound wouldn't irk Stan any further.

"Grace come out come out wherever you are. I won't ask again" Stan's voice had turned cold, and the girl knew she had no other choice. Leaving her phone behind she wriggled out from beneath the bed and clambered to her feet in front of her stepfather who stood swaying as he looked at her.

"What were you doing under there?" he questioned, reaching out to flick a strand of her hair "How about you and I go and get some gelato?"

Grace took a step back and shook her head "I-I don't want to" she mumbled "Where's my Mom?"

The man heaved a sigh and his jaw set "Your Mother is busy, so I'm gonna look after you okay?"

"I have to go to bed soon" the youngster stammered "Maybe we could get gelato tomorrow?"

Stan's face contorted into a scowl and he suddenly lunged, grabbing the girl by the wrist so tightly that she let out a scream. A sound that was quickly silenced as her stepfather slammed a hand over her mouth and hissed in her ear for her to shut up.

"Stan? What are you doing?" Rachel's voice yelled from downstairs, masked by the shrill ring of the doorbell. Grace waited, Stan still holding her tight as he tried to listen to who would be calling round so late.

"Where is she?" Danny's voice was muffled but Grace knew it was definitely him "Rachel where's my daughter?"

Footsteps thundered up the stairs and moments later Steve skidded round the corner and into Grace's room, chest heaving as he locked eyes with the girl. "Danny, up here. Now" he called over his shoulder, taking a step into the room only for Stan to drag Grace back the same distance.

Danny appeared behind his partner with Rachel close behind and he shoved past Steve "Stan?" he said slowly, through gritted teeth "It's time to let her go, you hear me?"

"Danno-" the girl whimpered, struggling to escape her stepdad as tears leaked down her cheeks.

"It's okay baby, it's gonna be alright" he assured her, holding an arm out to stop Rachel from getting past him. "Stan I'm warning you, if you don't let her go then the police will be here in under 5 minutes. Make a choice and make it now."

Stan was laughing, his body shuddering as the sound echoed around the room "You don't need to call them, I'm in my own house with my own family Danny, there isn't a problem here."

"Is that why you have Grace in a chokehold?" Steve asked in a growl "Now he said let her go, so I suggest you do it."

"Please Stan, this has nothing to do with her" Rachel begged, clutching the back of Steve's shirt for comfort.

Stan snorted "She deserves to know what you're like, the cheating _whore_ she has for a Mother!" he bit back, and Grace winced at the volume of yelling in her ear.

"Don't talk like that around my daughter" Danny said slowly with a shake of his head "Time's up Stan, I'm calling the cops."

"I already did" Steve cut in, waving his phone in demonstration "They're on their way."

Grace tried wriggling free once more but if anything the threat of the police only served to make Stan hold on tighter. "I said you didn't need to call them" he snapped "What are they going to do except for throw you two out of my house, huh?"

Danny stepped forward "You think we didn't see the mess you made of downstairs? You think Rachel will be able to hide the black eye you gave her?" at this, Steve wrapped his arm around the woman's shoulders and gave her a squeeze as Danny went on "I saw both of those things Stan and I swear to God if you don't let go of my daughter, if you lay one more finger on her and hurt her I will not hesitate to shoot you again."

The tension in the room was interrupted by the sound of sirens and the glare of the lights atop the squad cars illuminated the room.

"I'm just a little drunk, you're wasting their time" Stan murmured, his grip on Grace slacking somewhat.

"They respond to domestic calls everyday" Steve told him "This is all in a day's work for them" he backed out of the room to direct the cops up and that was when Stan realised he was in too deep.

"Rachel?" he slurred "You won't let them take me away? It was just a misunderstanding."

The woman pursed her lips and shook her head "Let Grace go Stan, I mean it let her go."

He dropped his arms to his side and the girl almost stumbled in her haste to reach her Father, who bent and lifted her into his arms, rubbing a hand in circles on her back as he held her, peppering her head with kisses.

"It's alright monkey, you're okay" he assured her, lowering her to the floor but resting his hands on her shoulders.

"Danny will you please take her out?" Rachel requested, hearing the police approach "I don't want her to be around this any more than she has to."

The detective nodded slowly, squeezing his ex-wife's shoulder as he passed and waiting for her to kiss their daughter before he led her from the room. Steve was barely up the stairs when he saw them, and Danny noticed his shoulders sag slightly in relief as Grace ran at him and wrapped her arms round his middle. The SEAL rested a hand on the back of her head and held her to him for a moment before releasing her.

"You alright kiddo?" he checked, reaching out to take Danny's hand as he walked over.

"Is Stan going to jail?" she asked cautiously.

"I don't know what's going to happen to him baby" her Dad answered honestly "But no matter what, you will always have me and your Mom and your Uncle Steve alright?"

Grace craned her neck to look past them as she heard Stan arguing with Duke and his team and so she didn't say a word when her Dad gently urged her downstairs, deliberately directing her away from the mess her stepfather had caused.

"Is Mom gonna be okay?" the girl checked once they were outside.

Steve nodded, brushing a hand over head "Yeah baby, the cops upstairs are gonna make sure she's alright before they leave and tomorrow we'll bring you back to see her okay?" he held open the car door for her and she climbed in slowly.

"Does she know we're leaving?"

"I told Duke to let her know, I'm gonna call her when I get you settled to make sure she's alright" Danny assured her, turning round in his seat to make sure she was buckled in.

Grace nodded, satisfied with this plan as she settled back against the car seat and watched the house grow smaller as Steve reversed out the driveway. "Danno? Uncle Steve?" she said softly, trying to ward off the wave of tiredness.

"Yeah monkey?"

"Thankyou for coming to get me"

Steve met her eyes in the mirror and smiled at the sight of her falling asleep.

"We love you Gracie" he whispered, relaxing into the drive, content with the knowledge that his little family was safe and sound.

 

 


	3. We'll get through this I promise

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> When Grace's date goes south, she hides out with her Aunt Kono

It was 7:30 on a Friday night and Kono was hunting through the refrigerator for something to throw in the microwave for dinner. As she searched she sloppily massaged her left shoulder, which was still throbbing from her takedown of Alvero Harker - known child trafficker.

A single knock to the front door made Kono straighten up with a frown, wondering if she'd imagined it, but moments later someone was hammering at the door so much so that it was shaking on its hinges.

"Alright I'm coming!" the woman called, slamming the fridge and cautiously approaching as she kept a hand secured on the gun still strapped to her waist. She wrenched open the door, eyes frantically taking in the figure to assess a level of danger, but there was no danger, no perp - just her niece.

Grace was hugging herself, tearstained cheeks illuminated in the porch light "Hi Aunty" she greeted quietly, and Kono quickly ushered her in and closed the door behind her.

"Hey, sweetheart what's wrong?" the woman questioned in concern as she led the girl to the couch and eased her down "Is it your Dad?"

"No, he's fine he's with Uncle Steve" Grace gulped "They think I'm on a date."

Kono nodded along in understanding as she rubbed gentle circles on the girl's back "Okay, did it not go as well as you wanted?" she asked tentatively, surprised Danny had even agreed to let his little monkey date in the first place.

"I thought it was going well" the 16 year old sniffled "We went bowling and then to the diner next door, but he kept asking me to go home with him because his parents were out-" Kono winced, it was a line she recalled from her own childhood.

"And you said no?"

Grace nodded, a hiccup escaping as she shuddered "He grabbed my leg under the table and said I didn't have a choice. He took my phone so I couldn't call Danno and then he...he-"

Kono looked over the teen who had subsided into sobs. Her shirt was torn at the shoulder, her hair was loose from the messy bun atop her head and there was bruising appearing on her wrist. The woman softly stroked her niece's cheek "I'll get you some water" she hummed, excusing herself to the kitchen. Once she returned she waited until Grace had taken a gulp of drink before she spoke.

"Grace, sweetie I'm gonna ask you something really important and I need you to be honest with me" Kono said, her stomach clenching in fear of the answer "Did this guy-"

"No" the teen mumbled "It's okay you don't have to say it....he didn't rape me."

Kono let out a shaky breath of relief but nodded, wrapping an arm round the girl. "So can you tell me what he did?"

"He said I was making too much of a scene in the diner so we went outside. He dragged me down the side alley and pushed me against the wall, I tried to run but he grabbed my top and it ripped." Grace took another long gulp of water before abandoning it on the coffee table "He kept touching me and he wouldn't stop, he had hold of my wrist Aunty, I tried to get help but he covered my mouth and it was like I couldn't...I couldn't move!"

The teen's voice cracked and she buried her face in her hands, shoulders quivering as she cried.

"Oh my sweet girl" Kono sighed, pulling her into her chest "It's okay, I've got you, Aunty's got you."

* * *

"Your phone"

"No it's your's"

Steve raised his eyebrows at Danny and held the detective's phone in the air, which was clearly ringing with Kono's face on the screen.

"Shut up" Danny grumbled, a glint in his eye as he traded his phone for a beer and hit answer "Kono, you okay?"

_"Hey D, I'm sorry to bother you but we have a situation over here."_

"Situation? What's wrong?" at this, Steve immediately stopped drinking and put the practically full beer back on the counter as he listened.

_"Grace is here with me-"_

"She's on a date, I don't-" Danny was massaging the bridge of his nose as confusion nagged at his brain.

_"Danny, I need you over here okay? Asap."_

Kono hung up and Danny turned, slightly bemused, to face his partner.

"What's going on?" the SEAL demanded "Is Kono okay?"

Danny ignored him, busy patting his pockets to locate his keys. Once he'd got them he tossed them to Steve who caught them in one hand, his brows still furrowed.

"You're driving" the detective told him, already opening the door "We're going to Kono's, it's Grace."

* * *

Grace couldn't stop her leg from bouncing up and down as she sat hunched over on the couch waiting for her Father. Kono was stationed by the window, peeking out now and again to watch for the car.

"Aunty I'm scared" the teen admitted "I don't want Danno to do anything stupid."

Kono smiled softly and came to crouch in front of her "We won't let him do anything stupid my love" she promised "But he needs to know what's happened to you tonight, and I'm sure once you see him and hug him you'll start to feel a little better, right?"

"I guess" Grace agreed quietly, scuffing her toes on the carpet "You're gonna take his gun off him before we tell him though?"

The woman chuckled, glancing to the window as the purr of an engine sounded and then stopped out the front "Here he is" she sighed, straightening up and opening the door in anticipation.

Danny strode in with Steve not far behind, and both men scanned Kono for a sign of injury before the detective clocked his daughter across the room. "Monkey you okay?" he gave a shaky breath "What're you doing here?"

The teen stood and slowly moved round the couch in full view of the man, and Kono slipped between the two. "Okay so listen-"

"Is your shirt torn?" Danny questioned, side-stepping to see past the woman "Grace?"

"Danny, easy, please" Kono said through gritted teeth, pointedly staring at Steve by way of asking for his help.

The SEAL stepped forward and placed a hand on his partner's shoulder "D, just listen to them okay? Maybe it's not what you think" he looked back up at Kono "It's not what he's thinking, right?"

Grace peeked round her Aunt, silent tears sliding down her face "Danno" she whispered "Danno I didn't know what to do!" She threw herself forward into his arms and all but crumbled against his chest, her whole body shaking as her Dad held her tightly and tried to control his growing anger.

"Kono" he breathed "Tell me the little scumbag didn't hurt my baby girl."

Steve's jaw had set as he too looked up at the woman for an answer, and she sighed "Danny, it's not the worst that could have happened, but I mean-" she gestured to Grace "It's still not great."

The detective pulled away from his daughter, still holding her by the arms as he stared into her eyes "Monkey, what did he do? Tell me what he did to you."

Grace was clearly panicking at her Dad's reaction, and she closed her eyes before she spoke "He wanted me to go home with him but I said no. He dragged me down this alley and pinned me to a wall, ripped my shirt and covered my mouth so I couldn't call for help." The teen revealed everything as quickly as possible, her shoulder sagging when she was done and she felt her Father's hold on her disappear as his arms dropped to his side's.

"I'm gonna kill him"

"Danny" Steve moved in front of him as the man whirled round to head for the door "Danny I can't let you kill him as much as I want to."

"Move out of my damn way Steven!"

Kono pulled Grace into her side before addressing the two men "HPD are sending someone to his house tonight and tomorrow Grace is giving a statement" the woman took the teen by the hand and led her in front of the two men "Danny look at Grace, look at her! She needs you, alright?"

The detective looked down to his daughter, tears welling in his eyes as he took in her terrified eyes and damp cheeks. Steve and Kono exchanged a glance, both ready to stop the man if he tried to go looking for the kid.

"Monkey" he sighed, cupping her cheek and pulling in his lips.

"I'm sorry Danno" the girl gulped "I'm sorry."

He dropped to his knees and grabbed her in his arms, swaying her softly from side to side as she buried her face in the crook of his neck.

"It's okay baby girl, it's all gonna be okay. We'll get through this I promise."

Kono ran a hand through her hair as the detective clearly calmed, leading his daughter to the couch where they sat cuddled up together. "I'll make some coffee" the woman offered, sidling off into the kitchen with Steve close behind.

"C'mere" the SEAL sighed, holding open his arms "Rough night huh?"

"I wanted to go and throttle the kid" Kono muttered, wrapping her arms round the man's torso "Sometimes having to be a cop about stuff sucks."

"I hear that" Steve agreed, glancing over his shoulder "Maybe we could leave the badges at home?" he joked, resting against the counter as they waited for the kettle to boil.

Danny appeared in the doorway, his features still tight with emotion "I'm in favour of that plan" he told them, pointing to his partner "I'm also in favour of never letting my daughter go out without me again."

"Where is she?" Steve asked quietly, eyes narrowed in concern.

"She went upstairs to find a different shirt to wear" he looked at Kono with a wince "Is that okay?"

The woman waved him away "I'm a woman D, I have as many shirts as McGarrett has guns" she smirked, pouring the coffee as the other two laughed.

* * *

Later that evening Grace was curled up asleep with her head in her Dad's lap.

"She's exhausted" Kono whispered, looking at the girl fondly as she sat forward to collect the coffee mugs.

"Can't blame her" Steve murmured, chin resting on his hand as he watched over his niece "I say we sign her up for self defence classes."

Danny shook his head "No" he rasped, swallowing before he went on "No classes Steve, I want  _you_ to teach her, I know you won't cut corners." His voice was fierce despite a quietened tone, and Steve simply nodded in agreement, watching his partner run his fingers through Grace's hair.

"We should get her home" the SEAL sighed, checking his watch "Rachel's picking her up in the morning."

Kono emerged from the kitchen with a smile "You gonna tell her?"

"I guess I have to" Danny groaned "But God when she screeches in the British accent of her's-" he trailed off with a shudder, and gestured for the pair to stop laughing as Grace stirred in her sleep.

Steve moved to Kono and pecked her cheek "Get some sleep Super Aunt" he smiled, turning to his niece "I got her" he bent and easily lifted the girl into his arms bridal style, pressing a kiss to her forehead in the process "We'll meet you in the car" he told Danny before making his way out.

The detective got to his feet with a stretch, adjusting to the lack of weight now on his knees. "Kono" he began, shaking his head "I don't even know what to say."

She waved him off "Don't be stupid brah, she's ohana, and I love her."

Danny smiled gratefully and pulled her in for a hug "And I love you for that" he told her, pulling away "We'll call you tomorrow?"

The woman nodded "Goodnight D, don't go making any surprise visits to the kid without me alright?"

He smirked "Course not" he told her "You got first punch."

 

 

 


	4. Don't touch me

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Grace is waiting tables at the restaurant when a customer gets too handsy for her father and uncle's liking.

Her ever-growing mane of brown hair was tied up in a ponytail before the teen secured an apron round her waist and turned to check her reflection in the large pan hanging over the counter.

"You know mom won't be happy when she finds out you're using your daughter for child labour" Grace told her father with a slight grin as she accepted the tray he held out to her "Most parents take their kids to mini-golf or the movies at the weekend."

Danny smirked at her, pressing a kiss to the girl's forehead and then spinning her to face the double doors leading from the kitchen to the restaurant. "It's just one night babe" the man reminded her in amusement "But hey if you do a great job you might get a permanent offer to work." The teen groaned theatrically, disappearing into the fray of customers filing in for evening service.

* * *

"The lady on table 7 said to tell you that her steak was perfection, the kid on 2 needs another soda and the dudes on table 11 are totally wasted" Grace announced, shoving her way into the kitchen where she began to unload her tray of plates.

Steve squeezed her shoulder as he passed "I'll let the guys behind the bar know to stop serving on 11" he assured his niece "The kid on 2 is having his soda poured as we speak, everything else out there good?"

The teen nodded, wiping a backhand across her forehead which soon held a frown "There's one more thing...I just can't remember-" she trailed off as Danny strode in laden with plates for the dishwasher.

"Table 5 needs the cheque" he grunted, trying not to smash any crockery as he offloaded them.  
Grace clicked and pointed to him "That was the other thing" she told her uncle, picking up her tray and dashing out again.

Once she'd gone Steve turned to his partner in exasperation, surging forward to help the man with the dishes "What're you doing man?" she asked with his eyebrows raised "You don't work front of house because we need you in the kitchen...Is this about Gracie?"

Danny finally hand his hands free, raking one through his hair "I just want to keep an eye on my daughter Steven" he said calmly "Make sure she's not too overwhelmed with the tables."

"Have you  _met_ your daughter?" the SEAL teased "She's doing great and I expected nothing less so can you ease off the helicopter parenting and throw on your chef hat, please?"

The detective mock saluted, slipping the other side of the grill without another word.

* * *

Grace could feel her feet throbbing as she said goodbye to another group of satisfied customers, the smile on her face drooping somewhat as she grew more tired.

Table 11 were one of the last left, and the teen turned to the men with a subtle roll of the eyes. They were all wasted and despite Steve saying they wouldn't be served more drink it clearly hadn't stuck as there were fresh beer bottles in front of everyone round the table.

The bell in the kitchen rang to signal the end of service and Grace blew out a breath, finally allowing herself to think of a nice comfy bed waiting for her once the restaurant was empty.

"Hey princess?"

The teen snapped back to attention to where one guy was swinging back on his chair and beckoning her over, waving a wine bottle in the air.

"What can I do for you sir?"

"Sir? I like that" he smirked, waggling his eyebrows at his friends who all cracked up laughing "I need a refill sweetcheeks, quick as you can."

Grace steeled herself, adjusting the tray in her clammy palms "Actually service has ended for tonight sir, the kitchen is closed and so is the bar. I'll leave you to finish the rest of your drinks."

She turned to leave when a hand closed round her wrist, pulling her back to the table.

"C'mon babe you can sneak us one little bottle of red for the road can't you?" the same guy pouted "We promise to leave you a big tip."

"No can do" Grace told them as lightly as possible "Sorry guys." She turned away again and tried to yank her hand free but he kept a firm hold "You're gonna have to let go of me" she warned, eyes flickering to the kitchen doors and willing her dad or uncle to appear.

The guy ran his other hand over her back "Oh I'll let you go, but only when you get me that nice bottle of red I asked so sweetly for."

"I told you the bar's closed" Grace sighed, struggling to free herself only to feel a pinch on her thigh from another guy round the table, that did it for the teen "Don't touch me!" she snapped, the tray clattering to the floor and echoing in the now vacant restaurant "Get the hell off!"

The raised voices and subsequent crash drew attention from the kitchen and Danny pushed his way out, balling up his apron as he walked "We got a problem here fella's?" he asked cooly, placing a hand on Grace's shoulder and firmly detaching her from the group "Looks like you're hassling my staff."

"Some staff" the guy who held Grace scoffed "Your waitress won't even get us a drink!"

Danny turned to his daughter, her face was flushed and tears were threatening to spill down her cheeks "You didn't get them their drinks?" he questioned, tilting his head to one side "Huh..." he addressed the table "So did you ask nicely?"

"Absolutely man, even offered her a little something for herself but she wouldn't budge about the damn bar being closed...I mean the wine is right there I can see it from my seat!"

"Offered her a little something?" Danny repeated "Like a tip?" he glanced at Grace "You didn't want a tip from these nice gentlemen?"

Grace shook her head slowly, unsure of her father's approach to the situation.

"It's alright buddy, we set her straight for you" another guy piped up "Ya know? Tried to show her how to respect her customers."

Danny mulled this over as he gazed round the table, making eye contact with every guest sat there "Well that's very generous of you isn't it?" he drawled, his voice dripping with sarcasm "And am I right in assuming your methods weren't only verbal? I mean you obviously needed to assault my staff to get them to do what you want am I right?"

The guests shared a mild look of unease before chuckling amongst themselves "There was no assault man, just a helpful hint for the pretty little thing."

Grace winced at his words, using her foot to drag the tray across the floor to where she'd taken several steps away from the table. The room had fallen quiet, so much so that Steve could be heard whistling in the kitchen as he loaded the dishwasher.

Danny let out a sigh "A helpful hint" he hummed, drumming his fingers on the back of one guys chair - the guy that had grabbed Grace "You know I've got a helpful hint for you, just a small piece of life advice you wanna hear?" The group mumbled in uncertain agreement and in moments the detective had grabbed the man closest to him by the front of his shirt and pulled him to his feet, ignoring the cries of protest from the rest of the table "Okay buddy here's the advice, it's pretty simple really but you gotta listen real close-" he shook the man slightly, patting his cheek to get him to focus "My advice to you, is to never and I mean  _never_ lay your hands on my little girl again, you got me?"

Grace averted her eyes from the glares of those at the table, who clearly felt she should have made it clear the owner was her father long before this point. Danny dropped the guy back on his chair with a thud "I'm gonna call HPD for that you psycho!"

"Only HPD?" Grace frowned "I think 5-0 would be much better."

The guy hovered his thumbs over his cell as he debated her advice, and quickly dialled, bringing the phone to his ear.

From the kitchen there came a shrill ringing that caused the group at the table to freeze "Oh that's right" Danny breathed in faux shock "We actually have someone here in the flesh who you can talk to."

As he spoke the kitchen doors swung open and Steve emerged, cell held to his ear "McGarrett" he greeted, winking at the men round the table "What can I do for you gentlemen?"

"This dude attacked me and I want you to deal with him!"

Steve raised his eyebrows at Danny who shrugged "You attacked a customer?" Steve asked slowly with a shake of his head "Daniel, I told you that you can't do that without a decent and solid reason" he turned to the guy at the table "What was his reason for the attack sir?"

"Nothing! All I did was grab his daughter by the wrist to stop her from walking away from the table, total overreaction on his part am I right?"

"You touched his daughter?" the SEAL frowned at his partner "And this guy is still conscious? Danno you're not going soft on me are you?"

The detective shrugged, wrapping an arm round Grace's shoulders.

"Are you gonna arrest him or what?" came the infuriated cry from the table.

Steve sighed "Well you see, sir, my partner here is also a member of the 5-0 task force and that means he has full immunity and means-"

"That's bullshit! He attacked me!"

"Should've kept your hands to yourself then huh pal?" Danny growled, and Steve held up a hand to calm him.

"As I was saying" the SEAL continued "He has full immunity and means and the way I hear it he was simply responding to a public disturbance in his own establishment...not much I can do I'm afraid."

Several guests at the table jumped to the their feet, and Danny instinctively pushed his daughter safely behind him.

"You really wanna try anything?" Steve chuckled "How about you just pay up and get out before I switch off the security cameras and show you what happens when scumbags try hurting my niece."

A couple of the guys fled, seemingly happy to go with the others following with muttered threats over their shoulders. As the last one, who had grabbed Grace, made to leave, Steve gripped his shoulder and spun him round "Not so fast handsy" he said, thrusting a card machine into the guy's chest "Pay up and then get the hell out of my restaurant." The man sullenly stabbed in his pin, and snatched his card back, glaring at Grace as he shoved past her and staggered into the street.

Danny followed to the doors and promptly locked them with a sigh of relief, he turned and held open his arms which his daughter quickly fell into. "You okay monkey?" he checked, stroking a hand through her ponytail "Did they hurt you?"

The teen pulled back and shook her head, loosening her hair and pulling off the apron "Nah I'm alright" she smiled up at him tiredly and he cupped her cheek.

"You ready for your bed or what?" the man asked.

"So ready"

Steve took the aprons from the pair and tossed them on the bar "We can deal with clean-up tomorrow" he decided "I wanna get my number one waitress home" he winked at Grace and she giggled, leaning into his side as he pulled her to him in a quick hug.

"You can flatter me all you want uncle Steve, I'm not working for you for free again" she smirked, waiting for Danny to flick off the main lights before they headed for the back exit.

"Can't blame a guy for trying" the SEAL defended, throwing the teen over his shoulder and ducking from the building with Danny following and relishing in the happy laughter of his daughter.

 

 

 

 


	5. Hey, look at me, just breathe

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> During a run along the mountain trail Grace finds a dead body and calls her ohana for help.

Danny blew out a breath and looked around his office, spinning slowly in his desk chair, his gaze lingering on the photo frames atop the table. Baby Grace and baby Charlie respectively, the 5-0 task force after the tough mudder race, himself and Steve at Kono's wedding. The detective rested his head back against the chair and let the memories flood over him, enjoying a rare quiet day at the office.

A shrill ring emitted from his cell phone on the table, and Danny cracked open an eye to check the caller id.  _MONKEY._ He smiled and pulled himself forward, swiping the device up and hitting answer as he brought it to his ear. "Baby girl you okay?" he greeted, executing another spin of his chair before tucking back under the desk and resting his elbows atop the counter.

There was no hint of a reply until a harsh sob seemingly roared down the line, sending palpitations through Danny's heart. He clutched the phone tighter and strained to hear what his daughter was trying to say.

"Grace? Baby talk to me what's going on?" he pleaded, patting his pockets frantically for his keys as he waited for her to speak.

"Danno" the teen gulped "I-I didn't know who to call, I-" she cut herself off with another sob, and Danny thought his heart was going to break at the sound.

"Monkey where are you, I'm coming to get you right now okay?"

The teen could be heard breathing heavily on the other end of the line, and the sound was enough for her father to be on his feet and pushing towards his office door, his cell still clutched to his ear.

"Mountain trail" his daughter sniffled "Danno, I think I found a body."

* * *

She'd stopped for a drink and to check her time on the new sports watch her uncle Steve had surprised her with. Grace took several deep gulps from her bottle and set it down on the closest rock, shielding her eyes from the sun as she squinted down at the watch to make a mental note. The teen looked across at the views and allowed her shoulders to relax while she rested her foot on the rock to tighten her laces. The motion caused her bottle to fall off and roll slightly down the mountain side, stopping only when it reached a patch of long grass.

"Good job Danno can't see me doing this" she mumbled, cautiously sliding down the slope with a hand reaching out blindly for the bottle. Her fingers hit something cool and rigid and so the girl grabbed a hold and pulled but it was surprisingly heavy. That's when she'd turned and let out a scream so loud it sent the nearby birds flying off into the sky - her fingers were instead clasping the mottled wrist of a dead person.

* * *

Back at HQ Danny had practically run from his office, bringing the rest of the team out of their own to investigate.

"What's with you?" Steve questioned, a teasing lilt in his voice as he blocked his partner's exit route "D? You've got aneurysm face."

The detective scowled at him, running a shaking hand through his hair "Will you move, please?" he all but growled "I need to go."

Kono stepped forward, placing a light hand on the man's shoulder to spin him in her direction "You're kinda freaking us out bruh" she told him "Whatever it is we can help, you know that."

"I know, I know you can and I do need you to help but I can't- I can't think about any of that right now I need to get to my daughter."

"Woah Grace?" Steve cut in, raising a hand to stop him once more from leaving "Danny what's going on, what's wrong with Grace?"

"She just called me, she was crying and panicking and I just need to go get her okay?"

The SEAL frowned, his features tight with concern "Alright then let's go" he agreed "Where is she?"

"Mountain trail...Steve-" Danny swallowed hard, glancing to Chin and Kono who were both listening with equal concern "My daughter found a dead body."

* * *

Grace was sat huddled up against a rock when she recognised the Camero come skidding down the road, sending up a cloud of dust as it went. She wanted to get up, to run to her father as she saw him clamber quickly from the car, but she couldn't move, her limbs frozen with shock.

"Grace? Grace baby are you okay?" Danny came sliding to a halt in front of her, cupping her face in his hands as he scanned her for injuries "Oh my god monkey I'm so sorry" he breathed, pulling her into his arms where she promptly burst into tears and scrabbled at his shirt for a tighter hold.

The rest of the team drew nearer but resisted their protective instincts to crowd the girl as she clung to her father. "Gracie?" Steve called softly, crouching to her level "It's gonna be okay, we're gonna get you out of here and away from all this but I need you to tell me where-" he stopped, not really wanting to go into detail but luckily his niece understood and gestured down the hill with her arm.

"I'll be there in a minute" Danny muttered, still cradling his daughter, his lips pressed atop her head in a lingering kiss as he watched the team descend the slope and disappear from view.

"Mom and Stan are on the mainland till Wednesday" the teen spoke after a while of silence "They left this morning, some last minute business trip he had to go on" she looked up at her father in sudden fear "Please don't leave me on my own daddy, I can't be on my own now!"

Danny shushed her and stroked the tear-sodden strands of hair from her face "I'm not going anywhere baby girl I promise you" he soothed "Now what d'you say I get you out of here huh?" He looked up at where Kono had reappeared and raised his eyebrows.

"HPD are on their way" she told him in answer to his silent question "Max is coming with them to do some preliminary observations but I don't think they'll need to speak to our girl" she smiled at Grace who slackened in visible relief "Get her home D, we'll meet up with you later."

The detective nodded in thanks and helped his daughter to her feet, wrapping a protective arm around her shoulders as he led the way back to his car.

* * *

Steve rushed into HQ and instantly looked into Danny's office, letting out a huff of breath when he found it empty and immediately turned to head for the detective's house.

"Easy Super SEAL" a weary voice halted him in his tracks as Danny rounded the corner, his hand holding onto his daughter's "We're here."

Grace took a step forward and her uncle automatically opened up his arms, holding her close when she fell against his chest with a slight sniffle. Steve looked over her head at his partner who simply smiled sadly and nodded towards his office.

"Chin and Kono are just down with Max, they're waiting for the results of his report."

"Uncle Steve? Was the guy I found murdered?" Grace asked hesitantly, looking up at him through her lashes as she slumped onto the couch.

Danny settled beside her and rested a hand on her knee "Monkey-" he began but she cut him off.

"Danno I wanna know" she defended "I wanna know what happened to him, did he have a family?" her fists clenched as she spoke and Steve crouched in front of her.

"Listen to me baby girl, this isn't really our case so we won't know all the details until HPD decide whether or not to hand it over. But yeah we think it was murder" he licked his bottom lip and went on "As for personal information, we won't know much if anything until Max finishes up his report."

His niece nodded slowly, looking up at Kono and Chin as they entered.

"Luis Morrisey" the woman sighed, perching on the edge of the desk "Known drug barren apparently, been on the FBI watchlist for quite some time."

Chin nodded "No family, they were murdered after he double crossed a client, anyone else close to him is rotting in a jail cell."

"Does that tell you what you needed to know monkey?" Danny asked his daughter, flicking a finger down her nose.

"He was a bad guy?"

"A total bad guy" Kono confirmed "Better in the morgue than on the streets put it that way."

Grace shuddered as she let out a breath "Okay" she murmured "I-I'm never gonna be able to forget this am I?" her voice quivered as she asked, fearful of the answer.

"Hey, of course you will" Steve told her gently "I promise you we're gonna get you through this, what sort of an ohana would we be if we didn't huh?"

Danny held out his hand for her to hold and the girl distractedly took it, her fingers brushing his wrist and sending her right back to the moment she found the body. She let out a scream and lurched away, her breaths coming out ragged and laboured.

"Hey, look at me, just breathe" Chin instructed, instantly dropping to his knees in front of her to help ward off the inevitable panic attack.

"Holy crap" Steve sighed, moving to stand beside his partner, knowing full well he'd be in bits seeing his little girl in so much distress "We're gonna help her through this D, alright?"

The room fell silent of Grace's whimpers and she shakily held her hands around Chin's as he helped her to her feet "You okay?" he checked, not wanting to let go too soon.

She nodded slowly, and swallowed to ease the raw feeling in her throat "I'm sorry-" she began, instantly being shot down by the team.

"Do  _not_ apologise for this" Kono told her "Not to us, we're your family."

Grace smiled weakly and stepped into her dad's waiting arms "You wanna go home baby girl?" he asked her gently and she agreed.

"Your chariot awaits" Steve declared, holding the Camero keys aloft.

"How the hell-" Danny patted at his pockets, looking over his shoulder to his desk where he swore he'd left them "C'mon you neanderthal, hand 'em over I need to get her home."

The SEAL raised his eyebrows "You really think I'm letting her out of my sight for the rest of today?" he scoffed "You know me better than that surely D?" he turned and winked at the watching cousins "I take it you two will be joining us later for dinner?"

Chin glanced down at Grace who was staring up at himself and Kono hopefully.

"Try and stop us bruh" he smirked, ruffling his niece's hair and watching in content as she was led away sandwiched safely between her father and uncle.

 

 

 

 

 


	6. I'm not going to leave you

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Wo Fat sends his men to McGarrett's house, but Grace is home alone.

20 minutes - that's how long her dad had promised to be, and now over half an hour had passed and Grace was still slumped across her uncle's couch thinking only of the pizza buffet they were now running late for.

The 15 year old unlocked her phone and called her father, swinging her legs off the side of her seat as she waited out the dial tone.

"Monkey you alright?" came the strained yet concerned greeting.

"Yeah I'm fine, just wondering where you guys are-"

"I'm sorry baby, we might have to take a rain check on the pizza, the case just took a completely new direction."

Despite the genuine remorse in Danny's voice, Grace couldn't help feeling mad at him but of course she couldn't show it - especially not if he and Steve were actively doing their jobs. Instead the girl gave a small sigh "Alright Danno, well I'll see you when you're home?"

"Okay monkey, we'll go for pizza real soon alright? In the meantime Steve said you can raid the fridge. Danno loves you baby girl, be good."

Grace said goodbye to her dad and swung her legs round, getting to her feet with a stretch. Her uncle's house had quickly become a home to her and Danny, and they regularly stayed the night - which meant the teen had no qualms about taking free reign of the refrigerator.

She stood nibbling at a slice of cold Hawaiian pizza when she swore she heard the sound of an engine out front. For a moment the girl wondered if perhaps her dad had been teasing her and they _were_ about to go out for dinner after all, but then she recalled the sincerity of his tone and her shoulders sagged as she realised it was beyond unlikely.

About to settle down at the counter to accept her night in alone, 3 brisk raps at the front door caused Grace to drop her pizza crust in surprise. She frowned and slowly slid to her feet; Steve and Danny both had their own key, everyone else in the ohana knew where the spare was hidden - which meant that the teen didn't know who was so insistent on getting inside. She walked as lightly as possible to the wall beside the door and flattened her back against it just like she'd seen her dad do, she craned her neck to peer outside, barely having time to register the group of dark figures as the door crashed open.

"Don't move" a gruff voice instructed "Arms up" Grace shakily raised her hands in surrender, her eyes focused on the barrel of the gun aimed at her head "Where's McGarrett?"

The teen felt the air leave her body as she was shoved onto the couch and instantly sandwiched between two more masked men both holding glock's. "He-he's out" Grace stuttered "He's still at work, I'm the only one here."

The man nodded to the remaining guys stood around him and they all took off to search the house.

"You are McGarrett's daughter?" he questioned, looking Grace in the eye.

"Niece" she corrected quietly, bowing her head as she listened to the upstairs rooms getting ransacked. A sharp blow to her right cheek sent the teen sideways, where she ricocheted off the guy sat beside her.

"You'll do well to look at me when you speak. Ravi doesn't like disrespect."

Grace held a hand to her smarting cheek "You're Ravi?" she asked cautiously, bracing herself for another punch but the man started to laugh at her instead.

"She's a clever girl this one" he joked with two other goons on the couch, turning at the sound of footsteps on the stairs "Anything?"

"Girl's telling the truth, nobody else here but us" one guy grunted, resting his shotgun over his shoulder "He said he'd be here." Grace frowned and looked between the men as they spoke in hushed tones.

"Well clearly he's running late, use your brain Kazinsky."

"I can't go back inside cuz, I won't!"

Ravi let out a snarl and clocked the man in the nose with the butt of his gun, sending a sickening crunch around the room. "Shut the hell up" he warned, barging past him as two of the others moved to re-set his now broken nose.

Grace eyed the gun in Ravi's hand warily as she swallowed to ask a question; "Who sent you here?" she murmured "Why do you want my uncle?"

"Nosy little bitch aren't you?" the guy on her left scowled, but Ravi held up a hand and chuckled.

"Easy Romeo" he warned "She can ask all the questions she likes, it will only do her more harm than good." With that he cocked his gun and shoved it pointedly against Grace's forehead.

* * *

 

"This is a new level of crazy" Danny ranted, shaking his head as he dragged his perp across the parking lot to the Camaro "Even for you this is just unbelievable!"

Behind him Steve was smirking "What? I got him to talk didn't I? Now we know where Zanetti's hiding the drugs, it's a win win."

After handing their suspect over to the waiting HPD unit, Danny slid into the passenger seat with a huff "No Steven it is  _not_ a win win, you locked the guy in a damn freezer! Alright? If you left him in there any longer the whole damn diner would have to be shut down because of the  _frozen dead guy_ contaminating all the stock!"

"Will you relax" the SEAL soothed, putting the car in reverse as they followed the squad unit out onto the street "I was never gonna take it that far."

"Err excuse me? Hello? You  _always_ take it that far."

Steve didn't even try to hide the look of pride on his face.

* * *

Chin was stood over the evidence table when the two men entered, and when he noticed them he straightened with a grin "A freezer, McGarrett? You're getting worse brah" he shook his head in disbelief as he clapped his boss' hand in greeting.

"Thankyou" Danny mumbled "That's what I was telling him the whole way here- wait a minute how did you know?"

"It's the talk of the lock-up"

Steve winked at his partner before all three turned their attentions to the board "So what do we know about Zanetti's whereabouts? We pinned him yet?"

"HPD are on standby at the Moliki Hotel on the North Shore" Chin explained, swiping a slide onto the screen "He made a call on his cell which bounced off the satellite on the roof so it's a good assumption he's hiding out in one of the room's there."

"Alright that's good work, put a foot patrol on the blocks nearby just in case, and keep eyes on the beach too" the SEAL instructed, watching Chin walk a distance away to make the necessary calls.

He turned to speak to Danny, only to find the detective stabbing away at his phone with his forehead creased into a frown. "Grace isn't answering my texts" he sighed, clocking his partner staring inquisitively.

"Well she's probably still a little upset about the pizza situation, your number's more than likely been blocked for the evening" Steve told him helpfully.

"She can do that? She can't do that! I'm her father-"

"Relax D" Steve chuckled, digging in his pockets for his own cell "Try this" he offered, turning on his heel as the doors crashed open to reveal Kono bent over and breathing heavily.

Chin rushed to her, gripping her arm to hold her steady "You alright?" he asked worriedly as the other two approached, Danny still holding Steve's phone to his ear.

"Just...relieved" the woman panted "Adam called me, said he heard through the grapevine that Wo Fat paid some Yakuza to go to McGarrett's place-" she looked up at her boss with saddened eyes "I think you should be grateful you weren't home-"

She was cut off by the sound of Steve's phone hitting the marble floor, and they looked over at Danny who had turned deathly pale. "Grace" he rasped "No, no no no-"

"She's waiting at mine" Steve murmured, gripping his partner by the shoulder and rounding on Kono "How long ago did Adam call you?" he demanded, eyes narrowed.

"I-I don't know, 20, maybe 30 minutes?" the woman offered helplessly, raking a hand through her hair "Have you called her?"

"She hasn't been picking up, I thought she was ignoring me but- Oh my God they've got her, they've got my little girl."

Steve was shaking his head as he retrieved his cell from the floor and dialled "HPD unit to my house asap" he instructed, trying to mask any sign of fear in his voice "Nobody goes in until I'm there, you hear me?" he hung up and grabbed the Camaro keys from Danny's pocket "We're going" he told the others, already heading out the doors.

* * *

 

Grace's right cheek was rapidly turning a shade of purple, and she winced as Ravi ran a hand over her face.

"Have you learnt not to ask questions now?" he quirked an eyebrow at her but she stayed silent, by now she'd learnt that it was best not to answer them, let alone ask them anything and so she sat on the couch with her eyes directed to the floor.

The other men in the house were evidently getting restless at the prolonged length of a supposedly short mission. "Why isn't he here? Just get him here will you?" Kazinsky growled, shielding himself behind Romeo for fear of another broken bone.

"The boss said we can't leave till the job's done-" Ravi snapped "Now quit whining and go check the windows again."

As he was giving direction the phone rang, echoing throughout the house. All eyes turned to Grace who looked equally surprised, and she winced as Ravi grabbed the phone from the table to answer.

"Commander" he greeted, baring his teeth in a smile "I trust you're on your way home?" he pulled the phone away and placed it back in its holder, pressing the speaker button before settling against the wall to listen.

"Wo Fat sent you, right?" Steve's voice hummed above the sound of the Camaro's engine "Told you to take me out?"

"Come now Commander, we shouldn't discuss business over the phone like this-"

He was cut off by Danny, who had clearly wrestled the cell from his partner in order to bring it closer to his mouth "Listen to me you punk, I don't care who sent you but I know you've got my daughter there somewhere and I wanna speak to her."

At the sound of her father's voice Grace looked up, her eyes shining with tears "Danno" she croaked "Danno?"

"Monkey I'm here, it's gonna be okay baby I promise you that, are you alright? Have they hurt you?"

Ravi had silently moved to the back of the couch and in the pause that followed Danny's questioning, he grabbed a handful of Grace's hair and tugged, causing her to scream in pain. "You hear that Commander? Detective? That's the sound of this pretty little girl here paying for your late arrival. Now I suggest you nice gentlemen step on the gas, or there won't be a  _monkey_ to get home to" he nodded to Romeo who stabbed the end call button and plunged the room into silence.

* * *

 

Steve had barely stopped the car before Danny was shrugging of his seat belt and marching toward the house with his gun aimed in a shaking hand. An HPD officer stopped him before he could turn up into the drive.

"Duke?" the detective hissed, turning to the commanding officer as he approached "What's the hold-up? Why is my daughter not out of there yet?"

"If they see the squad cars they might do something stupid-"

"No, no the stupid has already been done, the  _stupid_ was thinking they could lay their hands on my baby girl and get away from it alive."

Chin and Kono joined the group, both wearing their vests in preparation "What's the plan boss?" the woman questioned breathlessly, casting a wary glance to the driveway.

Almost in answer, Steve's phone emitted a shrill ring from his pocket and he locked eyes with Danny as he answered; "McGarrett"

"Commander do you think this is a game?"

"I'm not even going to dignify that with an answer"

"You know, Grace here is beginning to lose her worth to us"

The SEAL switched the cell to his other hand, running his tongue across his lower lip "You know the sort of people that threaten little girls?"

"Go on"

"People that know they're running out of time" Steve hung up the phone and shoved it back into his pocket, turning to the units around him "One group round the back, one securing the perimeter and keep a few of these guys out here in case they call in back-up."

Duke nodded and dispatched his men without a word, "What about you?" he asked Steve, glancing round at the rest of 5-O.

"We're going in the front door."

* * *

The front door swung open and Danny barrelled in, looking around the room wildly "Where is she?" he demanded "Grace? GRACE?"

"Don't bother detective" Ravi said in a bored tone, a smile appearing on his face as Steve entered behind his partner "Ahh, here he is."

"Right, you've got me. Now let her go"

Danny's grip tightened on his gun, which caught Romeo's attention "Drop the weapon" he warned, cocking his glock lazily "Don't make me ask again."

"It's alright babe, just put it down, we'll get Gracie and we'll go" Steve said confidently, placing his own fire arm on the ground and kicking it under the couch.

Ravi scoffed "You don't honestly think you're going to walk out of here alive do you Commander?"

"I'm pretty certain I am actually."

A silence passed through the room as Ravi turned, simply offering his men a nod which sent them striding towards the partners. Danny was grabbed by the neck and all but dragged along to the opposite wall, where Romeo held him there just hard enough to labour the detective's breathing.  
Steve meanwhile had been pushed onto the couch, one guy holding him down by the shoulders while Ravi rested the barrel of the gun against his temple.

"Steven if you have a plan I'd like it to be executed now!" Danny wheezed, struggling against Romeo, who dug his elbow sharply into the man's ribs.

"The only thing getting executed now is Mr McGarrett here" Ravi declared, chuckling at his own joke "One of you boys film this, the boss will want it on a loop."

Danny winced at the suggestion and tried to lock eyes with his partner, but Steve was focused solely on the kitchen doorway, his head giving a nod every now and again as if counting something.

"Any last words Commander?" a hooded guy teased, zooming the camera into his face "The famous last words of the Navy SEAL"

"He's behind you"

Danny frowned at the smirk on Steve's face, and turned just in time to see Chin pop a shotgun shell into the man's shoulder from his spot secreted round the kitchen door. While Romeo was distracted the detective raised his good knee and hit him in the stomach which doubled him over, so much so that Danny grabbed the scruff of his neck and slammed his head into the wall before letting him drop to the ground.

"Kono, help me find Grace!" 

The woman looked up from where she'd been driving the heel of her boot into Kazinsky's chest, she looked down at him through hardened eyes "Where is she?" she growled, adding pressure "Where's Grace?" Danny ran up beside her, swinging an arm out in time to aim a well landed punch to Ravi's stomach before he could reach Steve.

"Forget him" the detective snarled "I'll find her myself."

* * *

 

The upstairs was a mess, having been ransacked hours before and Kono and Danny stumbled over the upturned furniture, calling out for the youngest of their ohana.

"Monkey? Can you hear me?"

"Grace? It's okay you're safe now, where are you?"

The pair made their way systematically down the hall until they reached Steve's bedroom, Kono nodded to Danny and he went in, scanning the room distractedly before proceeding to further trash his partner's room.

The covers on the bed had been pulled back already so it was clear that was empty, and underneath the bed was a dead end too. Danny backed up and spun round, heading for the bathroom while Kono threw open the door to the closet.

"DANNY" she yelled almost instantly, dropping to her knees.

He ran out, eyes wild and quickly filling with tears at the sight of his daughter unconscious and bruised on the floor of the closet. "Grace?" he breathed, falling to the floor and lifting her head into his lap "Monkey can you hear me?" he was aware of Kono calling for a medic in the background but he barely registered it.

"It's gonna be alright D" the woman murmured, rubbing his back "She's breathing, see?"

They both looked down to the steady rise and fall of the teen's chest and Danny let out a shuddered breath "I'm gonna kill them" he vowed, rocking his daughter gently "They'll pay for this, right?"

Kono nodded "You know they will."

Below them Grace gave a small groan and slowly blinked open her eyes "Danno?" she rasped.

"I'm right here baby, Danno's got you, the paramedics are on their way so just hang tight for me okay?"

"Is uncle Steve-"

"He's fine monkey, he's all good"

Kono gently stroked a hand over the girl's face to clear the strands of hair from the patches of drying blood "They got you good huh?"

"Gun barrel" the teen mumbled "Surprisingly painful."

"Can you please stop talking like this is normal" Danny stressed "In fact just stop talking all together, save your energy you hear me?"

Footsteps came down the hall and instinctively Kono raised her gun, letting her arm fall in relief as the medic entered with an amused smile "You'd be surprised how many times that happens" he told her, dropping his bag and kneeling beside Grace "Hi sweetie, can you tell me where the pain is?"

Grace lifted a weak hand to point to her face and then to her ribs and the medic frowned "I'm gonna feel your ribs and see what the damage is, that okay?" he raised his eyebrows at Danny who nodded hurriedly,standing up and moving back to anxiously gnaw at his fingernails.

"Danno don't leave" Grace panicked, trying to get up.

"Hey, hey woah, I'm not going anywhere monkey, I'm right here okay?" he turned at the sound of more footsteps as Chin and Steve appeared, and the detective gave a sigh of relief at the sight of his partner's safety.

"Is she okay?" he asked quietly, grabbing Danny by the shoulder.

The medic turned to them to answer "She's cracked a rib, it's not bad so shouldn't take too long to heal, you just need plenty of rest" he smiled at Grace and with the help of Kono they gently lifted her to her feet where she staggered a few paces.

When the medic had gone Steve caught sight of his niece for the first time and his heart sunk "Oh my God" he breathed, stepping forward with outstretched arms "I'm so sorry Gracie, I'm so so sorry" he pulled her carefully into his chest and held her, placing a kiss atop her head "I'm sorry this happened" he murmured into her hair.

"I'm alright uncle Steve" the teen smiled, instantly wincing as it stretched the bruising on her face "Mostly"

Danny shook his head at her and took her by the hand "I'm taking you home, Steve you're staying with us for a few days while we get this place straightened up" his tone was so fierce that no-one dare contest this plan. Danny was done with today and all he wanted was to keep the two most important people in his life safe.

The SEAL mock saluted his partner who pulled a face at him and led the way out and down the stairs. HPD were in the living room cuffing the guys as they regained consciousness, and Grace gripped her dad's hand tightly.

"I've got you baby" he promised, nodding in thanks to the others as they formed a sort of protective box around the teen.

"McGarrett" Ravi's voice piped up from behind them "McGarrett!"

Steve stopped but didn't turn round, instead Danny pressed Grace close to his partner's side before doubling back and marching over to the ringleader of the operation. Without a second thought the detective had landed a right hook to the man's jaw, sending him stumbling into the wall despite the officer holding him.

"Listen to me you sick son of a bitch" Danny hissed, grabbing Ravi by the chin "You're going away for a long time, you hear me? No-one's gonna visit you, nobody will call or write and with any luck you'll die in there and rot in hell."

"Danny?" Steve called, his hand gently stroking Grace's hair "D leave him, he isn't worth it man."

Ravi pouted at Danny "Yeah detective, I'm not worth it."

He was thrown back against the wall again, where Danny pressed his forearm against the man's throat "You don't wanna get smart with me right now. You're lucky I don't put a bullet through your skull." He sidestepped and slapped the man's cheek "You see my daughter? Yeah, remember her? Look at her, look what you did you deranged sociopath. If you  _ever_ even  _think_ about coming near my family again, it'll be the last thing you ever do."

Before he could say anymore Steve was pulling him away, taking Grace by the hand as they went. And not once did any of them look back.

 

 


	7. I have to do this on my own

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Continuation of chapter 3 - Grace gives her statement and Danny has words with the boy who hurt his daughter.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey guys! Long time no see, I'm sorry...but I'm back now and after reading through the comments I've decided to do a follow-up chapter to Grace's bad date so I hope you all enjoy.
> 
> Side note - please hit me up with any requests so I'll have stuff to refer to when writer's block hits XD

The teen bounced her leg up and down, staring unblinkingly at the clock on the wall opposite. She only looked up when she felt her father lay a calming hand on her knee; "Sorry" she mumbled, resting her head against his shoulder with a sigh "I thought I'd be done by now, why can't I just write it all down or something?"

Danny wrapped an arm around her and pressed a kiss to her temple "I know it's taking a while monkey but this is important right? You gotta stick here with me for a bit longer."

"I guess" Grace said quietly, pulling out her phone and scrolling through a hoard of notifications from apps Danny had never even heard of. The detective settled back in his seat and retracted his arm in favour of massaging the bridge of his nose. It had been a stressful night and he hadn't slept due to Grace waking up from a nightmare screaming every 20 minutes.

The door at the end of the hall swung open and Duke called to Grace in a soft voice "We're all ready for you sweetie" he told her, gesturing for the teen to enter the room "Your dad doesn't have to come in if you don't want him to, I'll leave it with you, just come on in when you're ready" he disappeared back through the door and Grace turned to her father.

"It's okay Danno, you can wait here" she said, getting to her feet and releasing a breath "I won't be long."

As she turned to leave Danny caught her hand to stop her "Hey, if you need me I'll be right here you know that, but I can sit there and hold your hand and be quiet?" he sounded hopeful but the girl shook her head.

"I think I have to do this on my own, is that okay?" her brown eyes were threatening tears so her father smiled at her and cupped her cheek for a few moments, before stepping back and watching her walk into the interrogation room.

* * *

It had been 11 minutes and 39 seconds since Grace had gone in, and Danny was torn between pacing outside the door or sitting in the chair gnawing at his nails. The ticking of the clock seemed to echo in the now empty hallway and the man decided that if his daughter wasn't out in 5 more minutes he was going in to check on her.

"Don't let Gracie see you doing that, or do you want her to paint your nails again?" Steve was stood in front of his partner, head tilted as he studied the man before taking a seat beside him "She in there?"

"Has been for 12 minutes."

The SEAL sighed and patted Danny's shoulder "She's fine man, you know that right? This is so we can get the scumbag that hurt her off the streets."

"She didn't want me in there with her, what if she didn't tell us the whole story and-"

"-woah, woah hey don't go there" Steve warned "She's a good kid D, she wouldn't hold back on something like this. For all you know they're just asking more questions about the guy."

Danny opened his mouth to reply when the interrogation room door opened and a deputy slipped out, walking briskly down the hall.

"Is everything alright?" the detective questioned, jumping to his feet to stop them "What's going on?" he felt Steve place a gentle hand on his shoulder but that didn't stop him; "If something's wrong I wanna know-"

"Danno? What are you doing?"

As the deputy hurried off before Danny could say any more, both men turned to see Grace stood beside Duke watching them.

"Hey monkey, you good?"

"It was fine" the teen shrugged, stepping forward to hug her father and then her uncle "Why were you yelling at that guy?"

Steve raised his eyebrows at his partner, a twinkle of amusement in his eye "Yes Daniel, why _were_ you yelling at that guy?" he smirked, dodging as the detective aimed a lazy punch to his arm.

"Shut it you shmuck" he warned, looking to Duke "What happens now?"

"Well actually-"

"-We go home" Grace cut in, grabbing her dad by the wrist "Thanks Duke, see you at Thanksgiving!" the teen tried to drag Danny away but he wasn't that easily fooled.

"Duke" he pushed "What is it?"

Sensing defeat Grace dropped her grip on her father and stepped back into Steve, who rested his hands on her shoulders, not taking his eyes off the officer in front of them.

"During the interview we got a call from a couple of officers on the beat, said the kid tried to run but they caught him and brought him in..."

Danny glanced to Grace who had her head bowed "He's here?" the man checked, already feeling that bubble of anger in his stomach.

"They just brought him in, but you know I can't let you speak to him Danny."

Duke's apologetic look did nothing to quell the detective's irritation "Are you kidding me? This punk assaults my daughter and I'm not allowed to give him a piece of my mind? Trust me once I'm done with him he won't _touch_ another woman-"

"-I think that's the point babe" Steve cut him off gently "You'll probably kill the kid."

 It was at this point the door at the end of the hall opened for a final time, and Steve had to move fast to stop Grace from hitting the ground as her knees buckled. Duke looked furious and as Danny turned he saw why. Two officers were marching a teen a few years older than Grace down the corridor, nudging him now and again when he started to drag his feet.

"What are you thinking parading him through here?" Duke hissed, flagging the men down as they passed.

"I asked for a tour" the teen drawled, looking at Grace and winking, an action that sent Steve grabbing for Danny before the detective could punch the kid.

"What's your name?" the SEAL questioned grimly, finally releasing Danny so he could move to comfort his daughter. He got no reply so leaned sideways to read Duke's file "So, Darrius, you think you're a smart guy?"

Grace bit down on her lip and squeezed her dad's hand tighter as she willed her uncle to let it go.

"Smarter than you old man" Darrius shot back, looking Steve up and down with an upturned nose.

Steve laughed and turned to Duke "You said Danny couldn't talk to him right? Well that's fine because I have a lot of questions for this one." Without waiting for an answer from the man, Steve grabbed Darrius by the back of his shirt and practically dragged him across to the interrogation room.

"One of you go in there with them, make sure McGarrett turns on the tape recorder for God sake" Duke sighed, turning to Grace who was white as a sheet and hidden behind her father "I'm sorry sweetie, that shouldn't have happened."

"It's okay" she spoke quietly "Can we go home now Danno? With uncle Steve too? I don't want him to talk to Darrius..."

Danny ran his fingers through his daughter's hair and nodded "I'll go get him monkey" he assured her, glancing to Duke "Keep an eye on my baby? And don't worry I'll let the little punk stay in one piece."

* * *

"So what is it? Can't get a girl that'll have you so you think you can force one to be with you?" Steve was pacing in front of the desk, growing more and more enraged by the bored look on Darrius' face.

"How do you know she wasn't begging for it?" he smirked, almost toppling off his chair when Steve rounded on him and brought his fist down on the tabletop with a thud.

"You don't speak about her like that, you hear me? Or next time I might just stick my hand down your throat and rip out your tongue!"

As he grew closer and closer to the teen the door swung open and Danny walked in, hands in his pockets and with a look of amusement on his features "Wow babe, I thought I was bad cop and you were good cop."

Steve straightened up, shaking his head "I'm getting real tired of him D, where's Gracie? She alright?"

"She's with Duke, she's fine - so I took the opportunity to come and talk to our friend here" Danny settled himself in the chair opposite Darrius and shot the boy an overbright smile "Did you have any honourable intentions last night then? Or did you set out to be a scumbag from the get go?"

"Dude I don't know what you mean, she was all over me like a rash, it was kinda embarrassing really."

Danny sat back with a chuckle and glanced to Steve "You know I really see what you mean about him. He's delightful."

"Grace thought so" the teen muttered with a smirk, and Steve had to practically hold Danny in place in his chair to stop him from launching across the table to throttle the kid.

"Listen to me you sick little punk, you're going down for this - first it'll be juvie and then a one way ticket to Halawa" Danny threatened "And you know what? I might just put word about that you tried to rape an innocent girl, see how long you last inside then."

Steve tapped his partner on the shoulder before pulling him to his feet "Alright babe that's enough" he warned "Let's get back to our girl, I think he got the message." Danny strode from the room without a look back, but Steve lingered in the doorway "I'd really hate to be in your shoes right now kid" he told Darrius with a smirk "Nobody hurts Danny Williams' little girl and gets away with it."

 


	8. I'm at the hospital

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Grace calls Danny from the hospital and naturally he freaks.

"I'm at the hospital."

It's amazing what such a simple sentence can do, in that moment Danny Williams felt his heart skip a beat, the breath catch in his throat and his phone grow slick in suddenly clammy hands.

"What?" he croaked out "Monkey? Are you-are you okay? Are you alright what happened?" he knew he was babbling but at this point the detective couldn't stop the words that were tumbling from his mouth. Through the windows of his office he could see the rest of 5-0 gathered at the table watching something on Tani's phone and he wanted to scream at them  _how can you guys be laughing right now, my daughter just told me she's in the hospital._

"Danno?" Grace's voice interrupted his silent rant "Danno, please come, I-I need you."

* * *

Queen's Medical Centre was not unfamiliar to the detective, who pushed his way through the first set of double doors and into the air-conditioned foyer. Grace had told him she was on the 5th floor and on seeing the queue for the elevator Danny wasted no time in jogging for the stairs.

He found his daughter sat in the waiting room just outside the stairwell, her face was tear-stained and she scrubbed at her eyes as Danny watched her momentarily through the window before going in.

"Monkey" he said softly, not wanting to startle her "Hey, it's okay c'mere baby." He opened his arms as the teen fell against his chest sobbing, her fingers curling into his shirt as he held her. "Shh, Danno's here, I've got you" the man soothed, running a somewhat shaking hand through her hair.

"Alana, Alana's really sick" Grace hiccuped, taking a seat "We were just messing around on the pier and she collapsed, there was all this blood coming out of her mouth-" the girl shivered at the memory and her dad pulled her close, placing a kiss atop her head as he continued to listen. "The others, they took off running when I started dialling the ambulance, they said we'd get into trouble but I couldn't just leave her Danno!"

Danny let out a sigh "I know baby, you did the right thing, she's in the best place now okay?" He looked over at his daughter, eyes full of concern "How long were you here before you called me?"

The teen toyed with her fingers, shoes scuffing the floor "Couple of hours" she mumbled eventually "I didn't wanna bother you at work-"

"Grace, you are _sat_ in a _hospital_ , you can bother me at work anytime but especially with something like this!" the man stressed, a bubble of laughter mixing with his words.

"I was drinking dad."

Danny froze, turned slowly till his whole body was facing her "Excuse me?" he asked quietly.

"We were at the pier having a party, I mean I guess it was a party. Summer holidays started and this was the first day we were all free. Some guy in my class got his brother to buy drink, I had no idea Danno I swear!"

"But you drank it" her dad pointed out, trying to keep his anger in check because of their surroundings "You are 16 years old Grace. 16! Do you forget that I'm a cop?" he hissed.

Grace bowed her head "I'm sorry."

"This is why you didn't call me right away isn't it? You wanted to sober up first, right?"

Her silence confirmed everything.

* * *

It had been 15 minutes of stony silence, only broken by a nurse coming in to tell Grace there was still no update on her friend.

"Are you gonna tell mom?" she asked after a while.

Danny leaned his head back against the wall with a thud "I'm gonna have to, no doubt she'll find a way to blame me-" he brought his hand up and began massaging the bridge of his nose.

"I'll tell her" Grace offered "Might as well get it over with" she picked up her cell and shakily scrolled through her contacts until her dad reached over and gently prised the phone from her fingers.

"Later" he said gently "No point in stressing her out now."

The teen nodded slowly, accepting her cell back with a small smile of thanks.

* * *

After another half an hour the same nurse reappeared in the waiting room.

"Miss Versini is asking for you" she smiled, holding open the door.

Grace got to her feet, eyes wide "She's okay? She's awake?" 

"And very determined to see her friend, would you like to follow me?"

Danny stood behind his daughter and gave her shoulders a quick squeeze "I'll wait here okay? Don't get lost" he joked, falling back into his seat as he watched them leave.

The detective had barely had the chance to choose a magazine from the outdated pile on the table when the door flew open and Steve charged in, shoulders heaving as he took in deep gulps of air.

"Woah, where's the fire?" Danny questioned, holding up his hands to placate his partner "What's going on?"

"Are you kidding me?" Steve stressed, gesticulating wildly "You run out of the palace without a word and when I turn on my tag app-"

"-your tag app?" Danny repeated "You-you tagged me?"

The SEAL waved him off "Just your phone, not like I've had you microchipped babe. Anyway, I check and it tells me you're at the hospital. Why would you not tell me that? What happened?"

Danny waited for the man to fall into a seat beside him; "I got a call from Grace" he sighed "Don't look at me like that you schmuck, she's fine. One of her friends collapsed down at the pier...details still haven't exactly been relayed."

"So Gracie's with her friend now? So this other girl's alright?"

The detective nodded "Looks that way, thank god. Now I can focus all my attentions on punishing my daughter."

Steve quirked an eyebrow "For getting her friend to the hospital?"

"No. For the underage drinking."

"Oh."

* * *

Once Steve had fired off a message to the rest of the team to assure them he'd found Danny to be perfectly fine and not at all dying, he sat back to examine the abandoned magazines.

"You don't have to stay man" Danny said quietly "I don't know how long Grace is gonna wanna be here but you've surely got more important places to be?"

The SEAL shrugged him off "Not really, doesn't get more important than the two of you for me" he lazily flicked to the next page of his magazine with a slight smile as he'd rendered his partner silent.

That is until the door crashed open and a sobbing Grace ran in, desperate to reach her father.

"Something went wrong!" the teen cried, throwing herself at Danny the second he was on his feet "She was talking to me fine and then her eyes went all weird and the nurse said she was having a seizure. They sent me out Danno, what's wrong with Alana?"

Steve's presence hadn't fazed the girl, who sunk backwards into his arms as he tried to calm her frantic breaths.

"Listen to me Gracie, I can go and talk to the nurse and find out what's going on but I need you to breathe for me alright? You've gotta take some deep breaths."

Danny had hold of his daughter's hands, stroking his thumb over her knuckles as he tried to get her to breathe in time with him "Steve, go find a nurse before she knocks herself out?" he pleaded, pulling Grace into his chest as the SEAL rushed from the room.

He returned moments later with a young doctor in tow and they instantly crouch to Grace's height "Hi sweetie, looks like we've worked ourselves up a bit haven't we?" he placed a hand on her forehead and another on her wrist to check her pulse "Breathe in for me, nice deep breath that's it...and now out slowly...perfect, and again...."

The girl had sunk to the floor by this point with Steve and Danny either side of her as she finally began to breathe normally again. "Thankyou" she whispered, smiling weakly at the doctor as he slipped from the room again.

"You okay baby girl?" Danny checked, helping her up onto the chair where she instantly fell into his side "Hey? Talk to me monkey."

"She's gonna die isn't she?"

Steve brushed the hair behind his niece's ear "You don't know that kiddo, the seizure was probably just from the medication they've given her."

"It was her drink, that's what the nurse told her parents while I was in there" the teen admitted sadly "The vodka that Ryan's brother gave him wasn't proper stuff, it had chemicals in it and that's why Alana was vomiting blood..."

Danny cupped his daughter's chin "Baby, did you have any of that drink? I know you think I'm mad but if you had any of it I need to know right now okay?"

"I didn't" she promised him "Honestly, I was drinking...other stuff, but not the vodka Danno I swear."

The man gave a sigh of relief and kissed her temple, shooting a look to McGarrett that screamed  _Thank God_.

"Well can we assume this is the first and last time you'll be joining in any underage drinking?" Steve asked his niece "And don't lie to us, we're-"

"-cops, I know" Grace smiled "And honestly after this, I think I'll be on soda for a while."

Danny laughed "I might just put you on a water only ban" he teased, all three looking over as the door creaked open.

"Miss Williams?"

Grace stood shakily, her hand still clutching her dad's as she waited for the nurse to speak.

"Your friend is gonna be just fine. She's sleeping right now, but her stomach has been pumped and her body is responding well to the new antibiotics."

"She's...she's gonna be okay?"

"She's gonna be okay."

Steve thanked the nurse quietly as Grace turned and threw her arms around Danny's waist "I think I'm gonna throw up" she mumbled, letting out a sigh of relief.

"That'll be a hangover starting" he told her dryly "Which reminds me-"

"-what?" the girl asked cautiously

"You're definitely grounded."

"

 

 

 

 


	9. I'm going to protect you

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Set after the events at Grace's school dance, she has trouble sleeping so always video calls her Danno before bed.

It was like clockwork every night, as soon as it reached 9:30 Danny's cell would buzz and Grace's picture would fill the screen. It had only been three days since gunmen had taken the school dance hostage, and the girl was still having nightmares about it.

"Hey monkey, you good?" the detective checked, sliding to accept the call and grinning at the sight of his daughter.

"Mom wants me to go to some counselling session to talk about what happened" the girl muttered, picking at a loose thread on her pyjama bottoms "Danno I don't wanna talk about it anymore."

Danny smiled at her sadly, his arms aching to hug his baby girl "I know Grace, I know, but your mom and me are just worried about you."

"I told you a billion times, I'm fine."

"That may be but you still went through a traumatic experience and you're only 16-"

Grace narrowed her eyes "Are you reading this off some webpage?" she questioned "Because you're talking weird."

Her father laughed "No I am not reading off some webpage, and not just because I wouldn't know how to open one while calling you." Danny tilted his head to study his daughter as she laughed at him - her eyes had dark circles under them, her cheeks had grey undertones and her smile didn't completely turn up in the corners like it used to.

"Dad?"

Danny snapped out of his daze and got up from the couch "Sorry monkey, I was just doin' some thinking."

"About uncle Steve?" the teen smirked, giggling at the red flush of her dad's cheeks "I'll take that as a yes?"

"Actually no" her father drawled, climbing the stairs "Now we were talking about you."

Grace bowed her head and Danny watched her worriedly, laying back on his bed to wait for her to speak. There was a good minute of silence before the girl looked up again and this time she had tears brimming in her eyes.

"Hey" Danny said gently "Hey, listen to me alright? I will always protect you. No matter how old you get, no matter where you go Danno will always be there when you need him. Now come on monkey wipe up those tears before you make me drive over there and smother you with a hug."

The teen laughed, wiping the back of her hand across her eyes "I'm just scared" she whispered, shaking her head as if it were the most ridiculous thing in the world "Every time I close my eyes I can see them, the men, and sometimes they have the gun on me and sometimes it's on you and last night..." she took a gulp of air as the tears streamed down her cheeks "Last night they shot you and I couldn't wake myself up Danno, I couldn't!"

Danny sat upright and held the phone in both hands "Baby, look at me, look at me Grace. You're having a panic attack, just breathe for me okay?" he stroked a thumb over the screen, never feeling so helpless as he did in that moment "Monkey look at me, c'mon, I'm right here, Danno's here, I'm fine and you're fine and I need you to open your beautiful brown eyes and look at your father."

She did, slowly relaxing her face though her body still shuddered with gasps for air "I'm-I'm sorry" she mumbled, wrapping her arms round her knees as she pulled them up to her chest "I think I'm okay now."

"Don't apologise to me you goof" Danny told her with a smile "I'm just sorry I'm not there with you right now, but you know your mom she wanted you close and I get that-" he trailed off wistfully and willed the lump in his throat to disappear as he focused back on the screen.

"I wish I was with you" Grace told him sincerely "Mom just doesn't understand..."

Her father shook his head "She won't understand because she wasn't there" he reasoned "But she wants to be there for you now and we can't blame her for that can we?"

"I guess not" the teen shrugged "Can I come stay with you and uncle Steve this weekend?" her eyes were still glassy with tears but they shined as she looked at her dad hopefully, and Danny felt his heart swell with love for her.

"Of course you can baby girl, anytime, you know that." Satisfied that his daughter was more calm, Danny settled back against the pillows and rolled onto his side "Is all your homework done?" he asked her with raised brows.

She smiled "We don't have any this week because of all the trauma blah blah blah." Grace switched on her bedside lamp and Danny watched her run across the room to turn off her main light before launching herself into bed.

"Ahh see there is good to come out of it all then" he drawled, waiting for her to burrow under the covers "You said goodnight to your mom?"

"Yep, she was with Charlie...he wanted two stories tonight and she was trying to talk him down-" Grace was cut off by a yawn and she whacked a hand over her mouth "Don't say it" she warned her father as soon as it had passed.

"You're exhausted" he chided, completely ignoring her "And you need your sleep monkey alright? How about you just roll over and turn out the light?" Grace froze, so much so that Danny was half convinced the connection had dropped as he quickly checked the wifi. "Monkey?" he called "Hey, baby it's okay, it's alright we can leave the light on tonight just talk to me."

The girl blinked slowly and bit down on her bottom lip "When it goes dark, that's when I see them" she sighed, throwing her head against her pillow "I asked mom if I could sleep in her bed, what with Stan away but she told me I couldn't start a bad habit..."

Danny rolled his eyes - his ex wife could be so tactless sometimes and the man was tempted to drive to get his daughter now and have her safely tucked up in bed beside him where she knew she'd be safe.

"Where's uncle Steve?" the teen asked, once again snapping her dad out of his thoughts.

"Uncle Steve had a meeting with the Governor, he'll be back soon" the detective told her "Although you know you should be asleep by then right?"

It wasn't that Danny wanted to get rid of his daughter, he loved this new routine despite why it came about - but he was beyond concerned at her lack of sleep and he had to do something to change it.

"Danno?"

"Yeah monkey?"

"Can you tell me a story?"

Danny looked at his daughter, her eyes pleading with him to talk, to keep her safe. He adjusted his position and propped the phone up on another pillow to free his hands "Alright but you've gotta turn out the light, deal?"

Grace drew in her lips but nodded slowly, reaching across she quickly flicked the switch and momentarily plunged her screen into darkness before the light of her phone picked up her face.

"That's my girl" Danny smiled "Now, let's see what story I can think of for you..."

* * *

 

It was almost 11 by the time Steve got home and he frowned at the sound of the TV still playing beyond the front door. Letting himself in he was even more confused to find the couch empty and Danny's beer still half full and abandoned on the coffee table.

The SEAL stuck his head into the kitchen to check his partner wasn't in there before flicking off the light and retreating back to the couch. He picked up the remote and turned off the TV and then sat down to kick off his boots, all the while listening to see if he could hear Danny upstairs.

Once the door was locked and the rest of the lights were turned off Steve climbed the stairs and pushed his way into their bedroom, pausing in the doorway at the sight before him.

Danny was lying fast asleep on his side, one hand attached to his phone as it stood propped clumsily against Steve's pillow. "Ahh D" the Commander smiled, moving forward to retrieve the phone and lay the covers over the man. That's when he realised the phone was still on, and as he gently took it from Danny's hand he studied it with a grin. Grace was also fast asleep, her face illuminated in the light of her phone and Steve watched for a moment at how peaceful his niece looked.

He set the phone down on the side table and plugged in the charger before getting undressed. He wasn't gonna hang up in case the girl woke in the night and needed them so instead he just slipped into the bed beside his partner and threw a lazy arm over the detective's waist.

"You back?" Danny mumbled sleepily without opening his eyes "All good?"

Steve reached back to flick off the side light and then rolled back to the man "Yeah babe, we're all good"


	10. I'm probably gonna get killed right now

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Grace misses curfew and must explain herself to two very pissed dads.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello hello hello  
> I'm back!!  
> Sorry it's been so long, I've had crazy amounts of uni work to do and then I turned 21 and yeah life's been flashing by and I can't believe it's already May!  
> The good news is I've got some solid chapters coming up for you guys so hopefully I can get back into a regular routine of updates.
> 
> Enjoy!!

It was 1:56 in the morning, about two minutes since Danny had last checked from his spot slouched on the couch drumming his fingers on the arm. His phone was clutched in his left hand and the detective unlocked it now and again to gaze at the picture of his daughter before it faded to black.

"Anything?" Steve sighed, jogging back down the stairs and pulling a jumper over his t-shirt. Danny simply shook his head, pinching the bridge of his nose and trying to stop the irrational thoughts from flooding his brain. The SEAL perched beside him, placing a hand on his knee "I'll go out, have a look around...we'll find her D don't worry."

"It's a bit hard not to worry when my 16 year old daughter is almost 3 hours late for her curfew" the man croaked, pausing before resting his hand atop Steve's "Sorry, I know it's not your fault I'm just-"

His partner cut him off "I know buddy, me too."

* * *

Outside Grace had stalled at the end of the drive, her cell clutched to her ear as she gazed nervously up at the house "The lights are still on which means they're both gonna be awake" she hissed "I'm probably gonna get killed right now!" The reply wasn't entirely helpful as the teen drawled "Gee thanks Pia" before saying goodnight to her friend and hanging up. As she lowered the phone, the screen glowed with unread messages and missed calls and Grace blew out a breath, daring to open the latest that was sent from her dad only 15 minutes earlier.

_Okay I'm slowly losing my mind now Grace, it's been 3 hours and you're not home so where the hell are you? I don't know whether to call your mother or HPD or what so you need to ring me back right now young lady. Please, I'm worried sick._

She quickly locked her cell with a wince and looked back up to the house - she knew it was time to face the music but hell she really didn't want to. As she made her way slowly up the front path, she caught sight of her dad through the window, sat on the couch with Steve who was clearly trying to calm him down. Grace bit down on her lip and hesitantly turned the door handle, wondering for a moment if it would be locked, but of course it swung open and she peered around into the living room.

"Hi" she murmured, shrinking back slightly as Danny practically bolted from his seat and grabbed her in his arms "Danno, I'm okay-" she tried to wheeze out as he held her tightly, but it was clear he wasn't going to relent anytime soon.

"Are you out of your mind?" he rasped, all of his pent up emotion threatening to spill over as he spoke "I thought you were lying in a ditch somewhere, or-or-or" he trailed off and simply hugged her tighter, as if checking she was genuinely there in front of him. After a good few minutes of hugging, the detective finally released his daughter and that's when the relief turned to anger and he pointed to the couch. "Sit."

She sat.

"I'm going to ask you some questions, and you're going to answer them honestly and without any attitude, you hear me?" Danny had been pacing but now stopped in front of her and crouched to look her dead in the eye.

"Yes Danno"

Steve raked a hand through his hair, torn between relief that his girl was home safe, and anger that she'd put them both through this all night. He settled for cupping her cheek momentarily before moving to stand beside Danny, who had straightened back up ready to ask her everything.

"Explain" he said quietly "I wanna know why you're 3 hours late home."

Grace drew in her lips "I'm sorry" she whispered "Really, I am." Her father nodded in acknowledgement of the apology, but didn't speak as he waited for her to continue. "I was with Pia and Alana and some others from school, we were talking about prom and exams and just trying to relax-"

"Were you drinking?" Steve cut in seriously, his brow furrowed.

"No!"

"Good" Danny praised, motioning for her to go on.

The girl bowed her head, trainers scuffing over the carpet as she fidgeted "I admit I lost track of time, the next time I looked at my phone I realised I was already 5 minutes late and I tried to call but I had no service-" she rested her head in her hands, her voice now coming out muffled "I told the others I had to go and they asked for a ride to get some food so I said yes, figured it was on my way and it'd be safer than walking."

"Alright that's fair enough" Danny admitted grudgingly "What a good friend would do, what I've  _raised_ you to do" he glanced at Steve and then crouched back in front of his daughter "So why didn't you call when you got back into town and had service?"

Grace looked up at him and the detective was mildly alarmed to see her eyes gloss over with tears as she dug her fingers into the couch either side of her, no doubt to keep the emotion at bay.

"Monkey what?-"

"They asked me to take them to Zippy's" Grace blurted, interrupting her dad before he could finish, as tears began to fall down her cheeks. Realisation dawned on both of the men's faces but by this point the teen was heading for a full blown panic attack. "I'm sorry, I wanted to call but I pulled up there and everything came flooding back about the crash and how I could have killed Katie, how I could have died, I just sat there in the car park for hours...I saw the guys leave and I still couldn't move. I wanted to call you but I knew you'd be mad, or disappointed, or you wouldn't let me drive anymore but I can Danno, I can do it I just wasn't ready to go there!"

She fell forward into his arms, body shuddering as her dad rubbed circles on her back and held her to his chest. Steve backed away slowly and could be heard filling a glass with water in the kitchen, which Grace accepted gratefully when he offered it to her, gulping it down eagerly.

"Hey, hey not so fast monkey you'll make yourself sick" Danny said gently, brushing the damp strands of hair from her eyes as he settled beside her on the couch. She slowly lowered the glass, hands still trembling and when Steve took it from her and placed it on the coffee table, he left his hand squeezing hers, the pad of his thumb running over her knuckles.

"I wasn't out partying and having fun like a normal rebellious teenager" Grace sniffled "I was sat crying in a car park because I'm a pathetic wimp who's scared of a stupid car!"

Danny pulled her into his side and kissed her temple "You're not pathetic" he said firmly "And I won't let you talk about yourself like that okay?"

Steve nodded "Yeah Gracie, you went through something seriously traumatic and you're still recovering. Maybe not physically anymore, but mentally. Your friends should have made sure you were alright when you got to Zippy's-"

"-It's not their fault" the teen defended "I told them I was fine with it, I lied because I didn't wanna be made fun of I guess..."

Danny smiled at her sadly "Baby girl, they're your friends, they're not gonna make fun of you for something like that. Look I know I get a lot of things wrong when it comes to trying to understand the youth of today-" he shot a look to Steve who pulled a face in agreement "-But I know a thing or two about friendship, and that stays the same no matter how old you get.  _Real friends_ don't judge you during a hard time, they help you through it."

"I s'pose you're right" Grace mumbled, digging around in her pocket and pulling out her keys which she dropped into her dad's hand "I think you should hold onto these for a while...until I'm ready properly?"

The detective closed his fingers around them and kissed her forehead "You got it monkey, we'll work on this together alright?"

"Yeah, if you want I can take you out driving after school? Get you comfortable behind the wheel again?"

"Comfortable?" Danny scoffed "Steven your driving is enough to send anyone into cardiac arrest-" he turned to his daughter "Grace  _I'll_ take you out after school."

"Oh so you're saying you're a better driver than me now?"

"I thought that much was obvious, if we tally how many cars you've totalled compared to me-"

"Tally? You wanna bring a tally into this Daniel? I drive to crime scenes to try and save lives before it's too late, sometimes it's necessary to take your foot  _off of the brake!_ "

Grace got to her feet, breaking up what threatened to turn into an all night debate between the two men. "I think I'll just re-take some driver's ed classes while I can still get them at school" she told them "But thanks-" she glanced over at the clock; 2:38 "Can I go to bed? You can punish me in the morning."

Danny laughed and stood up beside her, with Steve following suit "I'm not gonna punish you" he sighed "I'm just glad you're home safe now" he hugged her once more as Steve cleared his throat behind them.

"That doesn't mean you can make a habit of missing your curfew though" he teased, wrapping his arm around the teen's shoulders when Danny released her "Now give me a hug you big goof" he squeezed her, making eye contact with Danny who grinned at the display of affection.

Grace stepped back, pressing a kiss to her father's cheek and then to Steve's before ducking away down the hall to her room.

"What was that look for?" the SEAL wondered once she was gone, side stepping so Danny could move to lock the front door and check the windows "That big stupid grin on your face?"

The detective laughed "It's alright super-seal, I won't tell anyone you have feelings...I just thought it was cute, that's all" he shrugged and turned back to his partner, waiting for him to switch off the lamp.

"Did you just call me cute detective Williams?"

"Actually that was aimed more at our daughter"

" _Our_ daughter?"

Steve quirked a brow but couldn't stop the smile tugging at his lips, and Danny shook his head fondly "Yes you neanderthal,  _our_ daughter. Or are you trying to tell me you've been up all night pacing beside me in moral support?"

The SEAL's silence spoke volumes, and still laughing Danny secured an arm around his waist and led the man up to bed.

 


	11. I thought I lost you

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Super short missing Danny/Grace scene from 9x12 because I'm still mad we never got to see his actual reaction after being reunited with his girl.

"She's awake, and she's okay"

Danny had never been so grateful to hear those words as he slumped against Steve in relief, patting the SEAL on the back before welcoming Rachel into the hug. They were a mix of tears, nervous laughter, exhaustion - but now it was all over.

"Can we see her yet?" the detective asked, resting a hand on his ex-wife's arm to maintain her attention and the woman nodded, biting down hard on her bottom lip as a new wave of tears threatened to fall. Danny quickly pulled her in for another hug and then released her, turning to Steve who held his phone up.

"I'm on it" he assured the man, preempting what he was going to say,  "I'll ring the team, you just go and see our girl alright?" a smile was plastered on his face, glad he could call with good news rather than what they'd all been fearing this whole time. Steve excused himself and disappeared through the doors at the end of the hall, cell already clutched to his ear.

Rachel cleared her throat, swiping the moisture from her cheeks "One of us should call people too" she began "Our parents, Charlie, your sisters, grandparents..." she trailed off with a wave of her hand "You know what? I'll do it, I think saying she's okay to everyone over and over will help me believe it myself- You'll sit with her?"

"Of course I will" Danny promised, squeezing her hand and watching as she followed Steve's suit and left through the doors at the end of the hall.

Steeling himself with a deep breath, the detective ran a shaky hand over his face before making his way through the maze of corridors to Grace's room.

* * *

The teen's head was pounding, foggy, but she was sat propped up against her pillows and had welcomed the glass of water the nurse had offered, the woman holding it up while Grace slurped at it through a straw. Just that action alone was exhausting and she felt like she could sleep for a week.

There was a brief tap at the door before it opened to reveal Danny, his face ashen, eyes hidden by dark circles of insomnia. He smiled at the sight of his daughter, pulling in his lips to hide the emotion but that didn't stop several stray tears slipping down his cheeks.

"Hi Danno"

Grace's rasping voice was enough to send him over the edge and he stepped forward and pressed a lingering kiss to the part of her head not covered by bandages. "Hi baby girl" he sniffed, laughing at himself and knuckling his eyes as he settled on the edge of the mattress. "How's she doing?" This was aimed at the nurse who was silently filling in her forms, leaving the pair to their reunion. 

"She's doing well detective, we're very impressed with her"

Danny smiled, stroking the pad of his thumb across Grace's cheek "You're a toughie aren't you monkey?"

The girl rolled her eyes but couldn't hide her grin as she reached out to squeeze her dad's hand "Is mom okay?" she questioned softly "And Charlie?"

"They're both fine, mom's off calling people now and I'm sure once she's spoken to your brother he'll want to come see you alright? But for now you need to just rest, focus on yourself, you hear me?"

The nurse shut her clipboard with a thud and slid it back into the holder at the foot of the bed "He's right missy" she smiled "Bed rest for you for a while, I'll leave you guys to it, I'll be back to check on you soon Grace."

Danny thanked her as she left, and as the door clicked shut behind her, the room fell into silence.

"Are you mad?" 

"Mad? Why the hell would I be mad?"

Grace shrugged "Because I crashed?"

Her father couldn't help but laugh at the comment and shook his head "Of course I'm not mad you goof, You could've been killed monkey. I'm just so relieved you're alright and I can still do this-" he leaned down and kissed the end of her nose.

"Was it my fault?" she asked when he straightened back up "Did I cause the crash? I-I don't remember"

Danny paused for a moment before answering, trying to control the pang of rage as it hit him "No baby, none of it was your fault. You were followed by some guy from Zippy's, you were trying to get away and he all but ran you off the road.  _Not_ your fault."

The girl had barely released a sigh of relief when her father carefully took her in his arms and held her as tightly as her injuries would allow.

"Dad-"

"I thought I lost you" he breathed, stroking a hand through her hair "God Grace, I almost did lose you"

"It's alright Danno...I'm okay, I'll be alright" Grace sniffed, fingers curling into her dad's t-shirt.

They sat like that for a while, neither of them wanting to let go and Danny felt a damp patch as Grace began to cry with him, the enormity of what could have been hitting her at the time when she was most exhausted.

The detective eased her back onto the pillows, wiping the tears from her cheeks "Look at us, hey? We're a mess" he joked, firmly swiping his own tears away and clearing his throat. "Can I get you anything baby? Something to eat? Something to drink? A blanket?"

Grace shook her head, her fingers still trembling as they closed around her father's hand.

"I just need you Danno" she murmured "Stay with me?" her eyes were beginning to flicker with sleep and Danny smiled fondly and tucked the covers round her.

"I'm not going anywhere monkey. I promise."

 


	12. You knew about this all along didn't you?

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> When Grace finds out Stan is leaving, she turns on her dad for keeping it a secret.

She was 14 years old, only 14 but being the daughter of a detective and the niece of a SEAL meant that Grace was more perceptive than most kids her age. She hadn't failed to notice the lingering touches between her parents lately, the way her mom would smile at the mention of her father's name - she also didn't fail to notice her dad arrive 20 minutes early to pick her up one morning, with his hair a mess and without his shoes on.

Grace noticed these things but never put the pieces together because Step-Stan would always come home from a business trip and Rachel would laugh and hug him and kiss him like always, and he still treated Grace as though she were his own...Until that night.

* * *

"How long?"

"Stan please, Grace and Charlie are asleep-"

"Answer the damn question!"

"I don't know...a couple of months maybe?"

"You told me this wouldn't happen again. You  _swore to me_ after you had Charlie that Danny Williams was in your past! I let you tell him the baby was his because you told me you weren't interested in a relationship with him!"

Grace was huddled up on the stairs, gripping the railings as she peered through the banister. Stan and Rachel had been arguing for a while now, waking the youngster not long after it started with their raised voices and crashing about. She hated fighting and part of her was ready to call her dad until she heard Stan mention his name.

"Do you love him?"

"Stan please-"

"DO YOU LOVE HIM?"

"Yes. I'm sorry but yes I still love him."

Grace pulled back from the banister, her forehead creased in a frown. She was sure if her mom and dad were getting back together they'd have told her, right? And the girl had been with her father only a couple of days ago and he'd not mentioned a thing about it...I guess now she knew why. They're a pair of liars.

So caught up in her own thoughts, Grace almost missed Stan as he strode down the hall and wrenched open the front door, a duffel in his hand. Rachel could be heard sobbing in the kitchen and the girl was angry that she wouldn't go after the man, so Grace went instead, not even putting on shoes as she rushed out of the door and down the driveway in pursuit of her stepfather.

"Woah woah Gracie what're you doing?" he asked gently, lifting her into the air as she came skidding to a halt "You should be in bed honey."

"Don't go?" the girl whispered "I heard you and mom fighting but please don't leave"

Stan sighed and placed her carefully back on the ground before crouching to her level and stroking a thumb across her cheek "I'm sorry kiddo, it's a bit complicated right now so I'm just gonna take a time out, I'll come back and see you soon?"

"Promise?"

He straightened and opened the driver door with a nod "I promise."

* * *

It was around half ten when Danny was drawn from his TV by a rap at the door, and frowning he padded across the carpet and opened it a notch. The sight of Grace stood on the front step at that hour, in her pyjamas, barefoot and with tear-stained cheeks almost gave the man a heart attack, as he flung the door open wider and grabbed her in his arms.

"Monkey? What the hell are you doing here?"

She didn't answer, wrestling her way out of his grip before turning on him with hurt eyes "You knew about this all along didn't you?" she accused, her bottom lip wobbling as she spoke.

"Knew what? Grace, baby, look you need to sit down so I can make sure you're not hurt or-"

"Why would you need to check when  _you're_ the one who hurt me!"

This took the detective by surprise and he crouched in front of her as she threw herself onto the couch "What did I do?" he asked, his tone light and joking as if this were all a game.

Grace glared at him "You made Step-Stan leave."

"He's gone? How do you-"

"I saw him go, I chased him down the driveway and begged him to stay but he didn't! He didn't because of what you and mom did!"

Danny sucked in a breath through his teeth, not prepared to have this conversation with his daughter yet "Monkey, listen-"

"Don't call me that. I trusted you Danno, you said we could always tell each other everything but you didn't tell me this was gonna happen!"

The man blanched, hurt that she would neglect her nickname and perhaps even more hurt that this was all about Stan. Danny knew he'd been a big part of his daughter's life but  _he_ was her dad and now she was talking to him like crap.

"I get that you're upset Grace but you can't talk to me like that, you understand? Now you can sit there while I call your mom and let her know you're safe" he raked a hand through his hair and turned to locate his cell on the table, spinning back around at the sound of the door slamming shut - Grace was gone.

* * *

Rachel had dragged herself up the stairs after more than half an hour of crying. Her eyes were red and puffy and her nose ran as she peered into Charlie's room to check he was still sleeping - and he was, dead to the world with a toy dinosaur clutched to his chest. Rachel smiled despite herself and gently closed the door before moving onto Grace's room. She noticed a light shining under the door and frowned, wondering if the girl was up reading past her bedtime, but as she pushed her way inside she was horrified to find the bed empty and the covers flung every which way.

Already reaching for her phone, the woman dashed into the bathroom to check for Grace there, but naturally it was also empty and so with a hand held to her mouth she rang Danny, wondering if the night could get any worse.

* * *

Steve slowly lowered the weight in his hand at the sound of a light knocking on the back door and he glanced at the clock - just past 11, so who the hell would be calling now? He reached for his gun where it sat atop the counter and cautiously approached the door, trying to peer through the crack in the curtains to see who it was.

"Hi" Grace greeted dully as the door opened "Can I come in?" she didn't wait or an answer as she stepped past him and into the warmth of the house, and Steve followed her in a daze as she made her way through to the living room and dropped down onto the couch with a sigh.

"Err, Gracie?" the SEAL began, abandoning his weapon back on the counter in favour of standing in front of the girl "What are you doing here sweetheart? It's almost midnight."

She looked up at him, her eyes sad "Did you know?" she asked softly "Did you know too?"

Steve lowered himself to the spot beside her and tilted his head "What do you mean Gracie?"

Grace drew in her lips as if to compose herself "Stan's gone" she told him "He left because of mom and Danno..." she didn't want to say they were back together because at this point she had no clue what was going on, but she was counting on her uncle to give her some answers, some advice, hell even a hug!

It was like he could read her mind as he pulled her gently into his side and pressed a kiss atop her head "Your mom and Danno are back together?" he tried the phrase out but it left a sour taste in his mouth as he spoke and that only made him hug the girl tighter.

"I heard mom and Stan arguing and when I went to see dad he just got mad and-"

"You went to see him tonight?" Steve checked "And he let you leave just like that?" He was all for Danny doing whatever the hell he wanted with his ex but if that meant that Grace was in any form of danger or upset then the man had a problem with it.

"I ran out when he said he was gonna call mom, I hate them both!"

Steve ran a hand over his face "No you don't kiddo, you're just hurt and that's alright, you've had a lot of change to deal with."

"Can I move in with you?"

"I can sort your room out for tonight but tomorrow we're gonna go back and face the music okay?"

As if on cue Steve's cell began to vibrate on the coffee table as Danny's name flashed with every ring. The man sighed and dipped to pick it up, locking eyes with Grace as he hit decline.

* * *

Danny hadn't stopped pacing since Grace had run out. He'd tried going after her but she was long gone by the time he'd even left the driveway and when he walked back inside his cell was ringing.

"Rach hey" he breathed out

"Danny, Grace has gone. She's not in her bed and she's not in the bathroom, I've checked the whole house!"

"She was here" the detective sighed "She knows Stan's gone, she knows about us and she's pissed Rachel, she turned up on my doorstep yelling and then she took off before I could stop her-"

"What do you mean she took off? Why on earth wouldn't you go after her?"

The man fall back onto the couch and pinched the bridge of his nose "I tried alright but there was no sign, look I'll get in my car and drive to yours, hopefully I can pick her up along the-" he trailed off as his eyes scanned the photos lining the wall opposite "Rach I'll call you back" he muttered, hanging up and instantly redialling.

* * *

"That's the 3rd time he's called" Grace hummed, watching Steve once again decline a call from Danny.

"I know, I'll message him and let him know you're here and you're safe and that I'll bring you back tomorrow. How does that sound?"

The teen shrugged and took another slurp of the milk her uncle had poured for her, both of them jumping as someone started to hammer on the door so hard it shook on its hinges. Steve instinctively reached out to Grace and took her hand, holding her behind him as he once more grabbed his gun and aimed it at the door.

"Who is it?" he demanded, feeling his niece shake as she squeezed his hand tighter.

"It's me you neanderthal now open the damn door!"

Danny.

Grace dropped Steve's hand and took several steps backwards, shaking her head as she urged her uncle not to let him in, but the man had to admit defeat at some point and so he slowly unlocked the front door and opened it to reveal a very angry looking detective.

"What the hell's the matter with you? You can't answer your phone to let me know my daughter is safe here with you? I've been going out of my mind Steven!" Danny marched across the living room and held a hand out to Grace "Come on I need to take you back to your mother before she kills me."

Steve slid between the two, placing a hand on his partner's chest "Hey, can you just take a minute please? Look at your daughter man, look at her. She's terrified of you right now. She's hurt and she's angry and she's exhausted-"

"Well running from house to house around the island will do that to a child" Danny snapped, his shoulders sagging "I just...I just thought something had happened to her."

Grace bowed her head, feeling somewhat guilty for her dad's panic, that was until Steve rested a hand on her shoulder "Something did happen, her world got turned upside down again by the two people she loves most."

"It's not that much of a drastic change" Danny tried helplessly "It's not like this is a new relationship to comprehend-"

"Please don't do it" Grace whispered, tears filling her eyes "Danno please, I don't want you to"

The man crouched and brushed the strands of hair from her face "What's going on with you monkey?" he asked in concern "Isn't it every kids dream for their parents to get back together?"

Steve scoffed and walked into the kitchen, presumably to offer some privacy to the pair. Grace sat down on the couch and Danny settled beside her, leaning back against the cushions as he softly ran his fingers through the teen's hair.

"When you told me you and mom were splitting up I was crushed, but I knew you weren't happy Danno. Then she met Stan and you met Steve and the pair of you were finally happy again, properly this time, and things worked but now you want to ruin it all!"

Danny was slightly taken aback by himself and Steve being compared to Rachel and Stan as he tried to understand his daughter "You  _don't_ want your mom and me back together? But your brother-"

"Charlie shouldn't get a say, he's the reason this is happening. It's his fault because if he wasn't born then you and mom wouldn't have gotten so close again."

"Hey." Danny scolded "Don't say that about your brother, he's a part of this family and I love him just as much as I love you, alright? He might not have been here the first time everything between me and mom fell apart, but he's here now and I think we should try and make this work-"

"Why? Why does he deserve a proper family when I didn't?" Grace's voice cracked and she flew into Steve's arms as he returned from the kitchen. The man held her head to his chest, staring at Danny over her shoulder.

"Maybe you should leave her here for tonight man?" he sighed "She needs time to-"

Danny stood "To what? Steven she's  _my daughter_ "

"I know but...she's hurting D, you have to see that?"

Grace wriggled to the floor and turned to her dad "I just wanted you to understand" she said desperately "Because I don't want you to get hurt like Step-Stan..."

"What're you talking about baby?"

"Mom met Stan when she was still with you...then she got back with you when she was still with Stan...and now she's doing it again, Danno I don't want to keep going around in circles like this because people just get hurt!"

Danny dropped to his knees and held open his arms for the girl to rush into, and he held her there tightly, tears brimming in his eyes as he rocked her gently.

"You didn't know huh?" Steve said quietly "That she met Stan all that time ago?"

The detective shook his head and kissed Grace's nose, wiping the tears from her eyes as she did the same to him. "I'm sorry monkey, I'm so sorry you've had to go through all of this again and again-"

Grace bit her lip "I just wanted you to be happy Danno, and I think uncle Steve makes you happier than mom would..."

At that moment the front door swung open and Rachel rushed over to her daughter and grabbed her in a hug "Oh Grace, why would you run off like that? I've got your brother in the car, I had to wake him up to come looking for you-"

"Rach, easy" Danny sighed, standing behind his daughter with his hands on her shoulders.

"And you! You were meant to call me back, I thought you'd found her or that something was wrong Danny, what the hell are you doing here?"

Steve stepped forward "Grace came to me and Danny came to pick her up alright? There's nothing more to it than that."

Rachel took hold of Grace's hand "Well at least we've got her now-" she glanced to Danny "Are you coming with us?"

The man tilted back his head and briefly closed his eyes before stepping forward and taking Grace back from the woman "Actually Rach I think we need to re-valuate our plans" he glanced back at Steve who frowned in confusion "Grace isn't ready for us to be together and to be honest maybe I wasn't either, I thought because of Charlie it would be the right thing to do but I know now that the right thing to do is to keep my daughter happy and comfortable and she wasn't either of those things tonight."

Rachel looked to Grace with raised brows "You don't want me and daddy to get back together?"

The teen shook her head slowly.

"Why?"

"Maybe because you were already shacking up with Stan while the two of you were still married?" Steve drawled, nodding to Danny who stared his ex straight in the eye.

"How did you-"

Grace looked up at her mother sadly "I'm sorry" she whispered "I saw you and Stan that time when dad was at work, I worked it out and tonight I told him. I want him to be happy, and I want you to be happy, just not together."

Rachel's mouth opened but no sound came out for a moment and then; "Stan's gone" she said slowly "Stan left because of me and you, was that for nothing Daniel?"

"Rach I-"

"You know what? You're the same pathetic little man I divorced. I hope you're happy Danny!" She turned on her heel and stormed from the house, leaving a horrified Grace behind.

Danny let out a shuddered breath as he felt Steve wrap an arm around him, and he pulled Grace closer, planting a kiss atop her head.

"We will be" he murmured into her hair "We will be."

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 


	13. Something you wanna tell me?

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> After Grace is sexually assaulted at a party, the symptoms that follow lead her to take a pregnancy test...that her dad then finds in the trash.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A lot of reviews, comments and messages I get about this story request some darker content for our girl, and I'm not one to shy away from a challenge so I'm giving it a go.
> 
> There will be mentions of rape, sexual assault etc, so if this effects you in any way then please please please don't read it. I don't want any of you lovely people to be upset and I'm so sorry if this does trigger anyone in any way.

It was just after 2 in the morning when the sound of the door being opened downstairs roused Danny from his sleep and he sat up, holding a hand to his head as he let his eyes adjust to the darkness. The sound came again, almost like a scratching and the detective was beginning to think it was some animal tearing up the paint chip on Steve's door with its evil little claws. He was about to lower himself back down against the pillows, when the slight creak of the handle turning sent him bolt upright again and shoving at Steve's back as he lay beside him.

"Nnghh" the SEAL groaned, swatting Danny's hand away 

"Will you wake up!-" he hissed "Somebody's downstairs. Or would you like to keep sleeping while you get burgled?" the drawled sarcasm wasn't greatly received by Steve so early in the morning and he shuffled to sit up, a hand patting at the nightstand for his gun.

"Wait here" he said quietly, muffling a yawn "I'll be right back."

Danny scoffed, already clambering out of bed the other side and retrieving his own weapon "Not a chance, now come on." He led the way out into the hall, both men keeping to the wall as they edged closer to the stairs. The light was on in the living room and someone could be heard rummaging about in the kitchen - brave of them, Steve thought. He raised a finger to his lips and gestured for Danny to move forward, which he did, both hands clasping his gun as he began sidling down the stairs. Steve placed a light hand on his partner's shoulder, a signal he was right behind him which urged the man forward still.

By the time they'd reached the living room, the intruder still hadn't left the kitchen so Danny nodded to the front door and padded over to lock it - pausing as he saw the bolt was already pulled across. He looked back to Steve who had his back flat against the wall beside the kitchen doorway, the SEAL tilted his head as if questioning Danny's hesitance and it was at that moment that Grace emerged from the kitchen holding a glass of water. She noticed her father almost instantly, just as Steve went to lower his gun - the movement startled the teen, who let out a scream and dropped the glass on the tiles where it shattered, spreading a puddle at her feet.

"You scared the hell out of me" she accused, stooping to begin picking up the mess.

"Monkey, hey, be careful, you're gonna cut yourself" Danny chided, hurrying over and abandoning his gun on the coffee table as he went. He helped his daughter up, holding her by the forearms "What're you doing here? Huh? You're meant to be at your moms' tonight, does she know you're here?"

Grace shook her head, blinking up at her father "I was at a party...your house was closer so I just came here" she bowed her head and stepped back out of Danny's hold, turning to where her uncle was almost done sweeping up the glass "Sorry for trashing your house-" her tone was light, trying to make a joke of it all but Steve could sense a tension underlying his niece's words.

"I'll send you the bill" he winked, straightening up and dumping the shards in the trash "Anyway, your room is all made up, I think there are some pj's on the bed from last time?" he glanced to Danny as if for confirmation, but the man was too busy staring at his daughter.

"Your mother let you leave the house looking like this?" he gestured to her skirt and top combination that showed entirely too much skin for the detective's liking "Monkey, you know I think you're beautiful, and I might not know a lot about fashion but-but-but this is-"

"Danno" the teen cut in, her voice sharp "Can we not do this now?"

The change in atmosphere took both men by surprise, but Danny nodded all the same as he moved to get his daughter another drink. "So-" he cleared this throat, keen to change the subject and avoid one of Grace's 'moods' "Whose party was it?"

"Hallie's 18th, it's not till Tuesday but her parents are taking her to France then so she wanted to do something early" the girl shrugged, head lowered once more as she picked at the silver lacquer coating her nails.

"Were you drinking?" 

Grace bristled at Steve's question but nodded all the same "I'm already 18 so it doesn't matter" she muttered, accepting the glass her father held out for her "And I was fine compared to some of the others."

Danny winced, the thought of reckless teenager's who couldn't handle their alcohol yet running riot on the island - he wouldn't be surprised if they had frantic parents ringing in with missing person reports in the morning.

"Can I go to bed? I'm kinda tired" Grace interrupted his thoughts as she got up from the couch and looked between the two.

"Of course kiddo, sleep well" Steve ruffled her hair slightly as he passed on the way through to the kitchen, and as he turned to get his own glass of water, he watched fondly as Danny pulled his daughter into a hug, pressing a kiss to her forehead.

"Night monkey."

"Night."

* * *

Grace's room at Steve's was an ocean blue colour, a world a way from the sickly pink that coated the walls at her mother's house. As she pushed her way inside she tried to let the familiar colours soothe her, trembling hands slid the lock across and the teen blew out a shuddered breath as she slid to the floor, abandoning her drink on the desk as she went.

_"Hey Williams looking hot!"_

_"Oh wow Trent, do you really think that counts as a compliment?" Grace rolled her eyes but couldn't help smile at the boy as he raised his plastic cup in a silent toast._

_"It put that goofy look on your face so I'd say so"_

_The girl raised her brows, shaking her head as she took a long gulp of her drink, her stomach warming as the alcohol filtered its way down. When she looked back up she found that Trent was now beside her, leaning against the table and watching her drink._

_"Can I help you?"_

_"What're you drinking?"_

_Grace swirled her cup a little, staring at the slightly murky liquid "I have no idea, Pia gave it to me" she held it out "Try some, tell me what you think?"_

_He nodded, switching his beer to the opposite hand as he took a confident swig of the drink "Tastes like a cider, probably some of the cheap shit that Brody stole from his dad's garage."_

_"You can really taste the garage" Grace hummed, cheeks flaring as she heard Trent chuckle at the joke._

_The boy picked his beer back up off of the table and offered it to her "Try some of this? Tell me if you think it's better than the garage brew."_

_Grace took it and took a tentative sip, it was foamy, her lips tingling with a bubbly sensation. She licked them before wiping the back of her hand across her mouth "Well that's gross" she informed him as they both burst out laughing._

_She thought she was with a friend._

_She thought she was safe._

The clock ticked just past three by the time the girl had forced herself to stand back up and begin getting ready for bed. She yanked down the zip of her skirt and let it fall to her ankles before she stepped out of it, glaring down at the item of clothing with nothing but hate in her eyes. Next came the top, pulled hastily over her shoulders and dropped to the floor to join the pile of disdain. The teen quickly threw on her pyjamas, wrapping her arms around herself at the faint scent of her father's cologne. His old academy t-shirt was almost completely faded, but the material was so soft that she refused to let the man throw it out, and so she took it and wore it to bed and it made her feel safe and protected.

She hoped it could do that tonight.

* * *

"I text Rachel, don't need her ringing up at the crack of dawn wondering where our daughter is" Danny sighed and dropped back down onto the bed, raking a hand through his hair as he waited for Steve to settle down next to him "Do you think she's okay?"

His partner frowned, glancing over his shoulder as he made to turn off the lamp "Rachel?"

"No you goof, Grace. She was blowing hot and cold the entire time we were downstairs."

Steve flicked the switch and plunged the room into darkness, save for the sliver of moonlight that fell upon the end of the bed. "I'm pretty sure she's just tired and still a little drunk, don't worry I imagine it will be worse in the morning when the hangover kicks in."

"Not helping Steven" Danny huffed, falling back against his pillows.

"I'm not trying to help babe, I'm trying to sleep" he said, and even in the dark the detective was pretty sure he could see the smirk on his partner's face as he admitted defeat and closed his eyes.

* * *

Grace still hadn't slept by the time it hit 5am, she rolled over and bit down on her lower lip as a tear slid down her cheek.

_The teen had never been this drunk before, everything had blurred and the music seemed to pulsate through her body to the point where she thought she was shaking with the bass of it. Everyone around her was still singing, dancing, ricocheting off of each other as the contents of most cups was slopped onto the floor in the chaos. Grace stumbled back slightly, feeling her way to the wall before she could fall over when a pair of arms found her waist and held her steady._

_"You're wasted" a voice breathed in her ear, and she recognised it as Trent, slumping against him in relief._

_"I need some water" she moaned "And a nap"_

_He laughed and tugged her toward the stairs "We'll get you to the bathroom before you puke, you can drink from the tap," draping her arm around him, Trent half-dragged her up to the landing and pushed her into the bathroom before turning and locking the door. Grace settled on the edge of the bath and leaned back against the wall with her eyes shut._

_"There's no glasses in here so looks like you'll have to drink from the tap after all" the boy told her teasingly, watching her as she failed to respond. He crouched in front of the girl and rested a hand on her knee "Yo, Williams?" he called._

_"I think you should call my dad" she managed to mumble, sinking lower over the gap of the bath._

_Trent laughed and pulled her upright towards him. He held her with one hand and clicked in front of her face but she ignored it, her head lolling side to side as she giggled quietly._

_"I don't think I should call anyone" he smirked, running a hand over her cheek before smashing his lips against hers in a sloppy and aggressive kiss. Grace let out another groan but this time of discontent as she weakly pushed at him. "Don't fight it Williams" he whispered in her ear, teeth beginning to nip down her neck. Someone knocked on the door and tried the handle, but a growled 'fuck off' from Trent sent them away._

_Grace slumped forward and practically fell off of the side of the bath, so the boy decided to pull her to the floor beside him. She lay there, limbs splayed and eyes flickering shut. The pulse of the music was practically deafening at that point, but she still heard the sickening sound of a zipper._

****The girl felt bile rising in her throat as the memory resurfaced, and she tumbled out of bed and scrabbled with the lock on her door before rushing across the hall to the bathroom, where she dropped to her knees and vomited into the bowl with a shudder. Once she was done, she wiped the back of her hand across her mouth and sat back on her heels, gulping in air as she looked around. The bathtub, the sink, the rack of fluffy towels on the wall all brought her back to earlier that night, and the girl let out an involuntary __wail before curling herself into a ball.

* * *

Steve awoke first to the sound, and he sat up with a glance at the clock - only quarter past five, what the hell was going on? He decided against waking Danny, and instead slipped out of bed, padding over to the door and pulling it open a crack. He squinted against the light of the hallway and frowned at the noise coming from the bathroom, the door was open so he went to investigate and found Grace practically hyperventilating on the floor.

"Hey, hey Gracie? Gracie it's okay I'm here, I got you" he soothed, sinking to his knees and pulling his niece into his arms "Shh, you're okay, it's okay, it's just a bad dream, just a bad dream baby" he rocked her gently, using his free hand to pinch the bridge of his nose as he shot a look back over to the bedroom door and willed his partner to wake up.

Grace clung to her uncle, her face buried in the crook of his neck as her tears slowly soaked his shoulder. He rubbed circles on her back, his other hand cradling the back of her head as he continued to whisper promises of safety into her hair.

"Steve?"

The SEAL looked up in relief at the sight of Danny walking toward the bathroom, his forehead creased into a crown of confusion. Steve adjusted Grace in his hold and brushed the damp hair from her eyes "Hey, Danno's here now kiddo, he's gonna make it all better okay?"

Danny hadn't noticed his daughter till now, and instantly he was on the floor beside her and taking her into his arms "Monkey? Can you talk to me? What's wrong baby?"

She didn't answer, but as Steve leaned back he caught sight of the toilet and winced "She's been sick man" he murmured "I'll get her some water." 

While he busied himself with the drink, the detective cupped his daughter's face "Are you not feeling good monkey? Is it a hangover or?-" he trailed off and accepted the glass from Steve, tipping it to Grace's lips. The girl grabbed the glass with shaky hands and gulped it down in moments, but luckily it seemed to do the trick in calming her down and she settled back against the wall.

"Thanks" she muttered, toying with the hem of her shirt to avoid making eye-contact with them both, she never wanted to wake them, never wanted to be asked a load of questions she'd never be able to answer.

Danny watched her carefully, trying to use any and all fatherly instincts he possessed to work out what was wrong with his baby girl, because he knew it was something - he just couldn't put his finger on what.

Steve cleared his throat after a long minute of silence "Why don't we get you back to bed kiddo? Couple more hours sleep and a good breakfast and you'll feel nice and normal again, what do you say?"

The teen couldn't bring herself to tell the man she'd never feel 'nice and normal' again, and so resorted on a simple nod before clambering to her feet.

* * *

It had been a week since the party and Grace was sat cross-legged on her bed staring at her phone as her vision clouded with tears - she was late. According to the period tracker on her phone she was four days late...four days. Beside her, her bag was packed ready for the weekend at her dads and buried deep in the folded up clothes was a pregnancy test stolen from her mom's bathroom cabinet.

"Grace? Your father's here" Rachel called up the stairs "Are you ready to go?"

No. She wasn't ready, she wasn't ready for anything.

* * *

The ride to Steve's was quiet, with the girl only giving one-word answers to her dad's questions until he finally relented and switched on the radio. Once they were inside she ran straight up to her room and locked the door, dropping her bag on the bed as she tried to calm her breathing. On the floor in the corner were the clothes she'd been wearing that night, still in the pile she'd left them in when she'd taken them off, she blinked away tears as someone knocked on the door.

"Yeah?"

Danny pushed his way in, brows raised "You gonna say hi to your uncle or what? You ran straight past him-" he looked around the room as if searching for a cause of his daughter's erratic behaviour, until settling his gaze back on her.

"Sorry, my bag was heavy" she lied "I'll come down now." She slipped past him and took the stairs two at a time, plastering a smile on her face as she launched herself into Steve's arms and squeezed him tightly, breathing in the scent of his cologne as she tried to let herself feel safe.

* * *

Grace tried to lay low for the rest of the day, claiming to have a lot of homework she kept herself upstairs in her room with the door locked as she studied the pregnancy test kit over and over again. The muffled sound of the TV downstairs assured the girl that nobody was going to disturb her anytime soon, and so she adjusted the box against her side and rushed across the hall to the bathroom, breathing out a sigh of relief as she slid the bolt over and stepped back from the door.

Her fingers trembled when she tried to open the packaging and she ended up peeling off a confetti of cardboard strands before she could get anywhere. The instructions on the box had been simple enough, pee on the stick and wait till something happens - so that's exactly what Grace did, running the tap so her dad wouldn't get suspicious of the silence if he came up to check on her.

It was up high on the list of the grossest things the teen had done, and she was quick to wash her hands after abandoning the test on the side of the sink. Now she just had to wait. Grace dropped the lid of the toilet and took a seat, resting her chin in her palm as she willed her leg to stop bouncing in agitation. Her phone was still in her room, so all she could do was sit and count the wall tiles and hope.

_Trent stood and pulled up his pants, leaving Grace on the floor as he went to the sink to clean up._

_She hurt, all of her hurt and her head was still pounding but now she was beginning to shake off the drowsy feeling from before enough to register the boy in the room with her, "Did I fall asleep?" she mumbled, trying to sit up. As she did so she realised her skirt was pushed higher up her thighs and she hastily yanked it back in place, looking up at Trent in embarrassment._

_He was grinning "I think we're past trying to hide from each other Williams" he scoffed, wiping his hands on his jeans "No you didn't fall asleep, you were definitely awake." His voice was firm, as if he were trying to convince her and Grace frowned in confusion._

_"What do you mean?" she asked nervously, patting about her person for her phone "I-I'm gonna call my dad."_

_Trent sighed "Oh Williams don't act the innocent now, you wanted it before, you were draped all over me!"_

_The girl froze "What?"_

_His response was just to grin at her again, stroking her cheek before stepping out of the bathroom and leaving her alone. Grace's heart was beating so fast she thought she'd end up in a cardiac arrest. She found her phone and tried to turn it on but the battery was dead and the girl gave a cry of frustration, punching her hand to the floor as tears began to leak down her face. Another knock came from the door and the handle turned to reveal a group of three girls she vaguely recognised from home room._

_"OMG GRACE!" they cried out, bundling in to greet her. But Grace didn't even acknowledge them as she swiped at her tears and barged through to the hallway._

_She had to get out of there._

Time was up, the teen reached over and took the test between her thumb and forefinger, wincing as she tried not to look down at it. The creaking of the stairs spurred her on and she glanced down with bated breath, head snapping back up as Steve knocked on the door.

"You alright in there kiddo?"

"Yeah" Grace blurted out "I'll-I'll be right out." She stood and tucked the packaging into the back waistband of her jeans and pocketed the stick before flushing the toilet and rinsing off her hands. When she stepped outside her uncle was gone but could be heard stomping around in his room. She took the opportunity to dart back across the hall, dropping the stick back into her bag and quickly covering it with some clothes. She knew she couldn't put the box in the bathroom trash because it would be found for sure, so she kept it in her waistband and crept back downstairs.

* * *

"Monkey, you going for a swim with uncle Steve?" Danny questioned as she tried to sneak past him into the kitchen "He's up there now getting ready, said he was gonna ask you-"

"Oh err, I was in the bathroom, didn't talk to him" the teen shrugged, gesturing over her shoulder "I'm just gonna get some juice" she didn't wait for a response, just turned on her heel and grabbed the now squashed box from her waistband and flipped open the trash, shoving it hard down the side before letting the lid fall with a dull thud.

To keep up appearances, the girl poured herself some juice and went back into the living room where Steve was now stood in his swim shorts, trying to convince Danny to come in the water.

"I told you Steven I am quite happy here watching this young couple search for a house in Spain-" he nodded to the TV and swatted his partner's hand away when he went for the remote.

"C'mon Danno, family swim time let's go."

"Grace isn't going" the detective pointed out, and both of them looked to her as she stood in the doorway with her drink.

"I-I mean I could I guess" she said half-heartedly "I have some stuff with me..."

Steve crowed in triumph and Danny threw back his head and groaned "Fine, fine I'll come down there with you but I'm only paddling, you hear me? No swimming for me thank you very much."

"I'll go get ready" Grace muttered, abandoning the full glass of juice on the side as she escaped back upstairs. Her bikini was a new buy, a present from her mom ready for the summer, but as the teen began to undress she saw the bruises on her stomach and realised they would be on full show if she wore it. Debating whether or not to fake a stomach bug her eyes fell upon the pile of laundry left on the chair by the door and at the very top was an all in one suit from when Grace had taken up a place on the swim team. 

She tugged it on and cringed at her reflection in the mirror, but still you couldn't see the bruises on her stomach so she reluctantly accepted it as the best option and grabbed her towel before heading back downstairs.

* * *

Danny promised to be right out once the program he was watching had finished, and Steve relented as he held open the back door and ushered Grace out into the fading sunlight. The air was cool from the sea breeze but after the heat of the day it was a welcome refreshment and the teen watched her uncle jog down to the sand and abandon his towel and flip flops on a deckchair.

"C'mon Gracie it's race time, to the buoy and back" the man teased, wading into the water backwards and beckoning her in. The teen huffed out a breath and left her stuff beside his, taking a tentative step forward until the water just lapped at her feet. It felt good and as she looked out to the horizon she felt a sense of calm that she hadn't felt in a while. "Earth to Grace?" Steve called to her, and shaking off the feeling she plunged into the ocean and started to swim.

* * *

They'd only been out there 15 minutes before Danny appeared, he walked down and stopped on the sand - still fully dressed as he watched the pair in the water. Steve saw him first and waved, pointing him out to Grace who turned and smiled over at her dad. He didn't smile back. His eyes were narrowed and his hands were dug into his pockets, he gestured for the two of them to come back to shore and then lowered himself onto one of the deckchairs to wait.

"You said you were gonna come in" Steve teased, walking up the sand and grabbing his towel "Don't tell me you chickened out again?"

Grace came up behind him and squeezed the water from her hair, her eyes fixed on her dad "What's wrong Danno?" she asked quietly, glancing up at Steve who had stopped all signs of joking and now just looked concerned.

Danny cleared his throat, dragging a hand over his face "I err-I thought I'd take the trash out before I joined you guys" he laughed but there was no humour there as he shook his head "I sorta wish I hadn't."

"What are you talking about?" Steve pushed, raising his brows as if urging the man to just come out with it.

"Well you know how it is, the damn bag split and the kitchen floor got covered with all kinds of gunk-"

Grace felt the blood drain from her face and she closed her eyes.

"Yeah, I kinda figured you'd react that way" her dad went on sadly, and she could hear the familiar crackling of cardboard and then a sharp intake of breath from Steve. The teen opened her eyes to find them already misted with tears, but she could still see the pregnancy test box clutched in Danny's hand.

"Something you wanna tell me monkey?"

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm almost certainly gonna do a part 2 to this where the boys help Grace deal with the aftermath of the whole situation so don't worry if the ending wasn't satisfying! I'll be back!


	14. What the hell is he talking about?

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Continuation of the previous chapter - Grace reveals all and Danny flips his shit.

_"Something you wanna tell me monkey?"_

The droplets of sea water dripping from Grace's hair hit her skin with the chill of ice as she looked frantically between the two men, trying to control the laboured breaths that were causing her whole body to shake. She opened her mouth, eyes fixed on the box clutched in her father's hand, but she couldn't speak - words were failing her and the look of disappointment on their faces only made it worse.

So she ran.

She took off up towards the house, her bare feet stinging with the friction of the sand as she went. Danny was calling after her, so was Steve but the teen blocked them out, now full on sobbing as she shoved her way through the back door and out of their sight.

Grace had no doubts that they'd be after her in moments and so she ran straight upstairs to her room and locked the door, wrapping her arms around herself as she shivered, hunting around for something quick to throw on.

The sound of the back door banging open made her wince, especially when it was followed by her dad's voice; "Grace? Grace get down here now, we need to talk about this."  
She pulled on a pair of shorts and a t-shirt over her swimsuit and chucked the rest of her stuff in her bag, the girl was ready to make a quick getaway out of her bedroom window - she had no clue where to go, she just knew she couldn't stay here.

The stairs creaked as Danny no doubt came to drag his daughter from her hiding spot, and the sound made her move faster, wrenching open the window and pushing it up, tossing her backpack down below before swinging her leg over the edge.

"Get back inside right now."

Steve was waiting below with her bag in his hands and an unimpressed look on his face. Grace froze, her heart hammering in her chest while her hands grew clammy as they clung to the ledge. The handle of her room rattled and was followed by a firm series of knocks.

"Grace? Open the door." Danny didn't sound so mad anymore, in fact he just sounded tired, like he was fed up with her or something. The teen shot a look back down below where Steve was still stood watching her, almost certainly preparing to catch his niece if she chose to plummet out of the window rather than face them. She knew she had nowhere left to run, so she blew out a breath and slid back inside.

"Fine" she croaked, resting a palm on the door, which was once more vibrating with the force of her father knocking.

It was time.

* * *

_He felt sick, he was definitely gonna throw up. His baby girl, his little monkey was pregnant? There was no way, it must be a prank, some sick joke she'd cooked up with Steve. The detective abandoned the spilled trash, curling his fingers around the crumpled box as he shoved his way out into the backyard and stared at the water. He didn't feel in control of his feet as he walked down to the sand, his head was spinning with questions and he didn't even know what emotion to pick._

_Steve saw him and waved and Danny gulped, nodding for him to come in.  
Grace looked so happy out there, and as she waded back to shore the man couldn't help staring at her stomach - at his future grandchild..._

_He heard Steve talking, mocking him for not coming in the water like he said he would, but he barely acknowledged it, his eyes firmly on Grace who was looking up at him with a frown._

_"What's wrong Danno?"_

_Danny could have laughed, after all where did he start? He tried to explain, tried to feel his way around the subject but it wasn't until he held out the box that the two realised what was happening. The detective watched his daughter's face pale, her fingers grip the towel tighter and the tears well up in her eyes. There was nothing he wanted more than to hug her, to hold her and tell her it was gonna be okay, that he could make this better because she was his little girl and that was his job._

_But he couldn't find the words._

_And then she ran away._

* * *

They'd convinced her to come downstairs but that didn't mean she was ready to start a conversation. Her eyes were glued to her backpack that Steve had left by the front door and she was trying to debate in her head whether she had time to grab it and run out the house before either man could catch her.

Of course not - they were Five-O.

Danny was pacing, bridging his fingers one minute and raking them through his hair the next. "What the hell were you thinking? You could've broken your neck" he stressed "You're lucky your uncle was one step ahead of you in case you fell to your death!"

Grace didn't quite agree, in fact she saw that scenario as an improvement on the current one.

"Were you really gonna run off?" Steve cut in softly from his spot sat back in his armchair across from her "Were you just gonna leave and not look back?"

The teen glanced up at her dad, hoping to avoid the question when he inevitably told his partner not to interrupt, but of course that couldn't happen  _this_ time.

"Answer him" Danny said dully, coming to a halt at her side "Go on."

"I just...I dunno, I wasn't thinking-"

"Of course you weren't thinking!" Danny exploded "If you were  _thinking_ then you wouldn't have gotten pregnant in the first place!" The room fell silent and Steve scrubbed a hand over his face with a sigh as his niece began to cry. Her dad took a breath, trying to calm himself before he settled on the edge of the coffee table in front of her and rested a hand on her knee. "Monkey?" he began gently "I'm sorry, okay? I shouldn't have yelled at you like that...it's not gonna help, but-but you've gotta see how careless you've been. Does your mother know you've been having sex? I didn't even know you had a boyfriend-"

Grace cringed, shrinking back against the couch "I don't-" she tried weakly, but this didn't go down well with Danny, who retracted his hand as if he'd been stung.

"So you're telling me that my supposedly smart daughter got pregnant after sleeping with a guy she isn't even in a relationship with?"

"Danny-"

"No Steven! I want to help her, I do, but she hasn't even helped herself! Sex with a stranger, knocked up after barely a month of turning 18-" he trailed off and turned back to Grace "Did you even use protection?"

The accusatory stares from both men were beginning to take their toll on the teen and she clamped her lips shut as tear after tear rolled down her cheeks. Her head was spinning and she felt hot and cold all at the same time. Something wasn't right, was she going to be sick? Her dad was still rambling on but Grace knew if she didn't get to the bathroom soon then her uncle would have a couch covered in vomit. She stood shakily and took a step forward but Danny reached out and took hold of her wrist to stop her.

"We're not done here" he told her firmly, tugging her back towards her seat, but the motion proved too much and the girl crumpled to the floor in a heap, her head hitting the corner of the table on the way down.

"Shit!" Steve cursed, scrambling to his knees beside his niece "Gracie? Gracie can you hear me?" he carefully tilted her head up, brushing the hair from her face so he could check her airways - all the while Danny just sat frozen on the sidelines.

"Was that me?" he whispered "Did I hurt her? Did I do something? Is it the baby-"

Steve shook his head and tossed his cell to the man "Call HPD, tell them to put a fast-track report through to the hospital, just say that a young girl has collapsed and she's pregnant" as he spoke, he scooped Grace into his arms and headed for the front door.

"Wait what are you doing?" Danny panicked, taking after him with the phone already held to his ear.

"We're taking our girl in babe, and if she won't talk then the doctors sure as hell can."

* * *

 

With Rachel and Stan on a break to the Mainland to visit his family, Danny decided it was best not to call his ex-wife until he had a more solid idea of what the hell was going on with their daughter. Grace had been placed on a gurney as soon as they'd brought her in and the doctors wheeled her off down one of the many hallways, telling Danny and Steve to 'sit tight' - which was a joke in itself.

"Coffee?" the SEAL offered, nodding at the machine outside the waiting room, but his partner shook his head, leaning forward and burying his face in his hands with a ragged sigh.

"How did I not notice something was wrong?" the detective muttered, either to himself or to Steve "I'm her dad, I'm her father, it's my job to know when something big is going on with her."

Steve shook his head "You can't blame yourself Danny" he told him quietly "I didn't notice anything either, and clearly Rachel had no clue-"

"Well I'm different" his partner cut in bluntly "Grace has always been closer to me, I always thought that was why Rachel whisked her off to Hawaii and tried to fight me for custody - she was just jealous" he laughed humourlessly and fell back against his seat.

A void of silence filled the room despite the constant background noise of the hospital and the monotonous ticking of the clock on the wall did little to calm Danny's nerves. His leg bounced up and down as he rifled through the magazines on the table - all of them out of date and with the puzzles filled in (and mostly wrong too). Every time an announcement was made over the tannoy, he felt his heart skip a beat, until he realised it wasn't going to be for him and then he slumped back down in a frustrated stupor.

 "When she wakes up, let's just take her home and try and get everyone to relax before we talk to her again" Steve huffed into the quiet "There's no point pushing her again here and delaying her being discharged by stressing her out."

Danny shrugged "I think this has all proved I don't know my daughter nearly as well as I should so sure, I'll follow your lead on this one-"

"Will you stop it? Alright? Enough with the self pity Danno. She's still your little girl, she's still Gracie and there's no doubt in my mind that she's absolutely terrified right now so why don't you take your head out of your ass and-" his rant was cut short as the door opened to reveal Grace's doctor who looked a little taken aback at the scene he'd walked in on.

Danny brushed off Steve's outburst and scrambled to his feet "How is she?" he demanded "Can I see her? Is she awake?"

The men knew something was wrong when they didn't get a reply straight away, instead the doctor bowed his head slightly and drummed his fingers on the back of his clipboard.

"What's going on?" Steve pushed, now stood by Danny's side with his hand on the man's shoulder, his forehead creased into a frown.

"Gentlemen? I think you need to come with me."

* * *

_Grace's head was pounding and she could hear muffled voices amongst a sea of black as cold hands prodded at her head and stomach. The rhythmic and persistent bleep of machinery was echoing through her skull and was definitely not helping the enormous headache she could feel coming. Instinctively, she let out a low moan and slowly blinked her eyes open, wincing at the harshness off the ceiling lights._

_"Welcome back sweetheart" a cheerful voice spoke from her side "Can you tell me your name?"_

_The teen frowned "Err, it's Grace, Grace Williams?"_

_"Excellent, and do you know where you are Grace?"_

_"The hospital?"_

_A team of nurses were still fussing around her as she spoke, but the girl tried to focus on what she was being asked. The woman stepped forward into her line of sight and smiled "That's right love, you passed out at home, can you remember?"_

_It all started to come flooding back to her; Danno, Uncle Steve, the shouting, feeling sick, falling- "I remember" she croaked "Where's my dad?"_

_"He's in the waiting room my love don't you worry-" the nurse paused and waited for her colleagues to spread off to other patients and then she took a seat in the chair beside the bed "Now Grace, since you're 18 I can give you the option of talking to me without your parent here-"_

_"Talk about what?" the teen questioned, her heart monitor spiking as she began to visibly panic._

_The nurse placed a calming hand atop Grace's "There's a lot of distinctive bruising on your stomach and normally we see this in cases of domestic-"_

_"No"_

_"It's alright sweetheart-"_

_"No, honestly it's not like that, I'm not being hurt at home, really" Grace tried to sit up but her head was swimming and she fell reluctantly back against the pillows._

_Her nurse pulled in her lips but nodded and made a note on her file "Well when we got the call to tell us you were being brought in...there was a mention of a baby, but we did an ultrasound and-"_

_"I'm not pregnant" Grace told her hurriedly "I-I never got the chance to actually tell my dad before-before I blacked out."_

_"Okay, but you thought you might be?"_

_This was it, she was going to have to talk, she was going to have to tell everything to some complete stranger who thought that just because she called the girl cute names that made them friends._

_"Yes" the teen answered quietly, she tried to make her voice firm to indicate it wasn't a topic she was willing to talk about._

_The nurse nodded again and jotted some more notes down "Grace, do you know what caused you to faint?"_ _Grace paused, considering the options; I mean she hadn't eaten much, she hadn't really slept either and the constant stress and worrying was beginning to take its toll. Eventually she decided that shaking her head would be easier and sure enough the woman had the answer all ready in her file. "You're exhausted" she said quite simply "Your body was deprived of energy and that meant the blood-flow was struggling to get to your brain. When that happens it's common to pass out, just like you did today."_

_Grace was chewing at her lip, trying to process all the information that was whirling around in her head. Her fingers brushed over the strip of gauze above her left eyebrow and she let out an involuntary hiss of pain._

_"You hit your head on the edge of your uncle's coffee table when you fainted" the nurse prompted gently "But don't worry it's only a mild concussion and we've stitched you back up again." There was a momentary pause in the conversation and Grace took the opportunity to take a long gulp of water from the cup waiting beside her bed. She could see the nurse watching her patiently, one leg folded over the other with that damn file resting on her knee. "Can we talk about your bruises Grace?" the woman asked once the cup had been put back down._

_"Do we have to?"_

_The nurse smiled apologetically and nodded "I'm sorry sweetheart but when somebody has bruising as severe as this then I'm afraid it's part of my job to find out why-" she leaned forward and took Grace's hand gently in her own "But you don't have to worry, it won't leave this room if you don't want it to."_

_It was hard to know what to do in that moment. Grace desperately wanted to tell someone what had happened to her but she was scared, scared of being judged or laughed at or worst of all - not being believed. At the same time she knew she couldn't carry the weight of it around forever, and maybe just maybe if she told someone then the whole thing would begin to go away and she could start to forget._

_"Okay" the teen whispered "I'll tell you."_

* * *

 

Danny walked into the room expecting to be reunited with his daughter, but when he followed the doctor through a small side door he found himself in another waiting room - only smaller and...quieter.

"Why are we in here?" he asked impatiently "Where's my daughter?"

"Detective Williams-" the doctor gestured for him to take a seat and Danny felt Steve take a firm hold of his arm.

"Danny" the SEAL sighed, glancing sadly around the room "This is-" he took a deep breath "This is the family notification room" there were tears welling in his eyes as he dug his fingers harder into the man's skin.

"Notification?" Danny repeated as it dawned on him "As in death? Doc I swear to God if you-" the doctor cut him off straight away, raising his hands to placate the man as he shook his head and settled them both down in chairs.

"I'm sorry, I know this is what the room is typically used for but for now I've brought you in here for the privacy, so I can update you on Grace's condition without any disturbances."

Danny ran a hand over his face "Well letting me think she was dead is a pretty big disturbance" he muttered, nodding in apology when he felt Steve dig him in the ribs with his elbow.

The doctor didn't seem fazed as he flipped open the document from his clipboard - which was was full of the nurses preliminary observations. "So, Grace was brought in unconscious with a pretty hefty blow to the head. She has a minor concussion and she's had stitches above her left brow to help the cut heal" he took a breath and glanced up to see both men nodding along, trying to keep their patience in check. "Now, we've hooked Grace up to an IV to give her some fluids to try and give her body some energy - detective, your daughter fainted due to exhaustion, she admitted to my nurse that she hasn't slept for more than three hours in the past 5 days-"

"What the hell?" Steve frowned, pinching the bridge of his nose "How is she still standing? That's-that's crazy!"

Danny was toying with his bottom lip, too consumed by the guilt he felt for not noticing anything sooner "What about the baby?" he croaked eventually "What does that all mean for the baby?"

The doctor took a moment before he spoke, making sure to lean toward the men "Mr Williams there is no baby, there never was"

"What're you saying?"

"I'm saying that your daughter took a pregnancy test but the test was negative, she was never pregnant."

Despite the current situation, Danny couldn't help but let out a sigh of relief, a feeling that faded rapidly when he noticed the grim look on the doctor's face. "There's something else" he guessed "Something else is wrong with her isn't there? Oh God you see it in movies all the time when they go in for one thing and then they find out they have some stupid, debilitating disease that will wipe out them and their entire family-"

Steve shook his partner "Danno, calm down alright? Just let him talk"

The doctor nodded in thanks to the man and returned to his notes, now taking off his glasses and placing them on top of the paperwork before turning back to the men. "When Grace came round, the nurse told her that we needed to ask her some questions. Now as she's 18 we gave Grace the choice of whether or not she wanted you in there with her as her guardian. She said no."

Danny winced, somewhat offended, but at least satisfied with the knowledge that his daughter was awake. "Okay?" he said shakily "So-"

"During the examination we found severe bruising on Grace's abdomen, signalling excessive pressure or weight and so we asked her if everything was okay at home-"

"What's that supposed to mean?" Danny snapped "You think I get her home and then I beat the crap out of her? C'mon man she's my daughter!"

The doctor raised his hand once more to calm him, waiting for Steve to snap his partner out of his rage before continuing; "Detective, Grace was quick to assure us that everything is fine at home, I was only telling you as part of our assessment of her."

"Right, okay I'm sorry" Danny breathed, gesturing for him to go on "So, excessive pressure, what does that mean?"

"Grace told the nurse that she went to a party a couple of nights before the insomnia started...the colouring of the bruising is consistent with that time period and indicates that she got it on the night of the party she attended...and then, a week later, she takes a pregnancy test-"

The doctor stops, waiting and hoping for them to understand so he doesn't have to put it into words for Danny who would almost certainly lose it. The room falls into silence and just as the man is about to try another explanation, Steve's hand flies to his mouth and he lets out a groan, a sort of guttural noise as he buries his face in his hands.

"Oh God no" he moaned "No, no, no" he looked back up at the doctor who could only offer him a sympathetic nod, but it was Danny who remained oblivious as he sat beside his partner in total confusion.

"What?" he panicked "What the hell is he talking about? Steve? Steve? What's he talking about? What happened to Grace?"

The SEAL grabbed Danny's shoulder, squeezing it tightly as he massaged the bridge of his nose, tears pricking his eyes while he willed himself not to cry. "Danny-I-I don't-" he trailed off as words failed him and the doctor scooted his chair closer to the detective.

"Mr Williams, after conducting some tests and taking a rough account from Grace-" he took a breath "I'm sorry but the evidence shows that on the night of that party, your daughter was sexually assaulted."

Danny froze, he didn't blink, didn't speak, he could barely breathe. His hands gripped the arms of his chair tighter, so tightly that his knuckles began to turn white and he felt a searing rage fill him, even though his face was rapidly turning a deathly shade of grey. "I don't-I don't understand" he ground out after a while "That wouldn't happen-It couldn't happen, not to my baby girl-"

"D-" Steve wrapped an arm around the man and held him tight to his side "Hey, listen to me, we're gonna get her through this, we are, we're gonna get her through it."

The detective didn't trust himself to speak and in fact as soon as the doctor tried to talk again, Danny practically threw himself to the ground and promptly vomited into the nearby trashcan, his body shuddering as tears started rolling down his cheeks.

"I'm going to get you something else in case you need it" the doctor explained quietly, gesturing to the trash can "And I'll check with the nurses and see if Grace is ready for visitors, I'm sure it will help all three of you now if you just talk to each other" he let himself out of the room and Steve dropped to the floor beside his partner.

"I want him" Danny spat "Whoever did this to her, I'm gonna find them and then I'm gonna kill them."

Steve knew there was nothing more to say so simply pulled the man into his arms and held him there.

* * *

 

They were gonna call HPD, they were gonna do more tests, they were gonna make her relive it all again - and still what Grace feared most was coming face to face with her dad. The nurse told her that Steve and Danny would know what had happened by the time they came to see her, and the teen was so tempted to put a visitation ban on her room to stop anyone coming in. Then she realised how torn up Danno would be, how it would kill him if he couldn't get to her when he found out and so she stayed quiet and she waited.

She hoped nobody would call her mom, she could only deal with talking it all over with one parent at a time, and Danno and Steve came as a pair. Grace sat up against her pillows and thanked the nurse as she refilled her water glass. The room was less busy now with only a couple of medics checking the machines and her vitals and all that jazz. The girl was about to take a sip of her drink when she looked up and made eye contact with her dad who was stood outside the window with Steve and the doctor. Grace thought she was going to vomit, her hands went clammy and she had to put the glass back down before she dropped it all over herself.

The door slowly opened and the doctor gestured for the two nurses to follow him out "We'll be back to check on you soon Grace" he assured her, nodding at the girl in encouragement as he let Danny and Steve step past him, the door shutting behind them.

"Monkey-" Danny's voice was scratchy and he took several uncertain steps towards her.

Grace suddenly felt like a little kid again, like she'd just woken up from a nightmare and so she sat up and reached out her arms to her father "Danno-" she whispered, both of them bursting into tears as Danny rushed to her side, pulling her so tightly to his chest he could have smothered her.

"I'm so sorry, I'm so so sorry" the man murmured into her hair as he gently rocked her "I promise you I'm gonna get you through this, you hear me? I'm gonna make it better. Danno's gonna make it all better."

The girl clung to him, her fingers curling into the material of his t-shirt as she buried her face in the crook of his neck. Steve was still stood by the door, watching silently as tears slid down his cheeks, but Danny reached out an arm and waved him over to join them and the SEAL didn't need telling twice. He sat on the mattress the other side of his niece and leaned over into the hug until he was shielding the pair with his body.

"What-erm-I-" Danny struggled to get his words out as he pulled away from Grace slightly and swiped at his cheeks.

She could tell where he was going and took hold of his hand and then Steve's, squeezing them both "Can we not, right now?" she asked quietly "I promise I'll talk about it but, I just need-I need-"

And now _they_ could tell where _she_ was going, so silently Steve and Danny both pulled her back into their arms and held her there.

Safe.

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Okay don't worry, there will be another chapter further down the line which will show Trent's downfall but I wanted this to focus on Grace and her dads and all the fluff and love.
> 
> Don't hate me for ending it there, I just don't wanna drag the chapters out and this way I get to explore every aspect of it and not just rush it all in one. 
> 
> In the mean time send in any and all requests, and I'll see you at the next chapter!!


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